another like me

by vamer

ok

Another Like Me - Part I (CoTE x OC)
Creepsies

Published: 2022
Source: https/

Chapter 00 - Prologue

School usually isn't something I look forward to.

There are several teenagers, people of my age who actually look forward to going to school. Stuff like meeting their friends, getting to eat lunch together, going out shopping, or whiling away time at the arcade.

For some reason, these indulgences have not once been able to derail me from my path of absolute victory.

Middle school was boring. I wasn't a social butterfly to begin with. I didn't have many friends. To be very honest, I don't think I had any friends.

Now don't get me wrong. I'm not a loner. In fact, it's much the opposite. I've had guys reach out to me almost all the time for help in various activities, ranging from academic tutoring to romantic advice. I've had several girls come up to me and confess under the seemingly-lucky oak tree my middle school had at its center. I've been fawned over by all girls in middle school, including seniors. But never have I once interacted with any of them. I didn't have anyone I could call a friend, no one I could openly talk to without mincing words.

Middle school wasn't fun. It was boring. I've always secured first place in both academics and physical ability. None of the tests ever posed a challenge to me. I could sit and read college textbooks in the middle of class of my first year of junior high, and the teacher would never say anything, because he knew I would anyways top the grade, whether I studied or not.

Nothing interested me anymore. School was boring. I'd rather sit at home and do my own self study for a bit. Until that got boring as well.

I was pretty much done with most university education by the time I entered high school.

These thoughts were what pre-occupied my mind during the bus ride to my new high school, the Advanced Nurturing High School. A prestigious government institution boasting a 100% employment rate in fields of high interest, including Artificial Intelligence, Nanotech, and even in the sports field.

Maybe this school would pose a little bit more challenge to me.

Author's Note:

Hello there! So this is my first ever fanfic, and I hope you liked the premise! I'll try to stick as much as I can to the LN, but there are a few conversational changes that I wanna incorporate into the story cuz well, there's an OC now, so to make him fit into the storyline better.

I'll keep this one short, cuz no one likes reading A/N's. See ya next week. I appreciate any feedback anyone has, so please feel free to share. Thanks for reading!

Chapter 01 - The Beginning

The bus ride to ANHS was a rather odd one that had me questioning the serious mixed bag of students who were probably going to be my classmates for the coming 3 years.

At one of the stops, there was an old lady who had climbed onto the bus, but with all the seats seemingly occupied, there was no place for her to sit down. I'd have offered my seat to her if I hadn't taken a window seat on the right flank of the bus. The seat to my left was occupied, which would make me getting up to offer my seat both irritating and awkward for me and the long, black haired girl seated next to me.

"Excuse me sir, do you mind?"

I looked ahead. There was a young man wearing the school uniform, sitting down on the seat reserved for senior citizens and people with disabilities. The boy seemed to be very well built from my first observation. He had long blond hair slicked back into an untied pony, with legs crossed over one another. If I had to comment, I'd say he gave off an aura of the rich-kid-with-attitude-and-ego-issues.

"Of course I do", the young man said, running his hand over his hair in the process, "to what pleasure do I owe this mistimed sudden conversation?"

"This old lady here needs a seat. You're sitting on a seat reserved for senior citizens, so it's your duty as a model resident to offer your seat to this lady here!", the officer interjected.

Instead of the guilt that a normal person would feel after being reprimanded for not being a 'model citizen', the man showed no change in expression, and his strange smile was still plastered over his face. He looked amused at the reasoning given by the woman, and instead took out a mirror to check his reflection, before speaking.

"Reserved? I don't understand why that makes a difference. I'm the person who is currently occupying this seat. Why should I vacate it for this old lady? Is it because I am young? I have no legal obligation to move from this seat, and whether I get up or not is completely up to me. Standing expends much more energy than sitting down. Why would I spend and excess amount of energy when I can reserve it? Ha! Your reasoning is nonsense."

This man interested me. He looked the type to be unfazed by anything happening in his surroundings, and I could definitely see how things fan out in school.

I looked at the young female officer, who was taken aback at the student's bold words. There was further banter exchanged between the high school student and the officer, but the student had shut her down completely, and she was now completely helpless.

"I-I'm sor-sorry", the officer bowed down at the old woman, who wanted nothing more than to stop the on-and-off wordplay between the two. I noticed that the boy had put on his earphones, and was currently tuned into a very irritating radio station, whose volume seemed to be high enough for me, sitting 2 seats away, to hear audibly, over the din of the bus engine.

"Uhm, I think you should give up your seat to this elderly woman over here. She's suffering greatly because of it right? I think it would be a contribution to society if you offered your seat."

The new source of the voice was from another high school student who had gotten up from her seat, possibly disturbed by the turn of events that had taken place. She was a pretty one - she had shoulder length blonde hair, a well - endowed figure and carried around a friendly and cheerful vibe. If I had to take a guess, I'd take my chances that she'd be one of the more popular girls in the grade.

The boy seemed to have heard her over the music playing in his earphones. He turned out to be an observant one. No one would have been able to hear over such loud music, unless he had plugged in only one of his earphones. But he had heard everything clearly. Did he just have a superior hearing ability, or was it one purpose, that he had left one of his ears free?

My thoughts were interrupted by the egomaniac speaking again.

"Aha! Looks like today is a good day for me. I've been approached by the fairer sex twice in two minutes if I'm not wrong. However, I do think your statement was a rather interesting one. Contribution to society? I assume this incident will be viewed in positive light if I vacate my seat. But I care only about myself. I feel no obligation to serve society or help better it. Besides, if giving up the seat is the major priority, wouldn't just any seat do? The fact that I'm occupying a priority seat is only trivial. Any seat may be offered to this woman here."

He wasn't wrong at all. In fact, I was inclined to agree with him. Any seat should do just fine.

But the pretty girl didn't give up. She instead turned to the rest of the bus, and directed her question to us now, knowing that there was no way she could convince that butterscotch head to give up his seat.

"Is anyone willing to vacate their seat? It would be of great help and would end her suffering!"

After a few tense moments, a girl from the front row, unable to keep up with the growing guilt, got up and offered her seat to the old lady. The pretty girl and the old lady were all very grateful to the now-standing girl, and the ordeal ended without much of a hassle.

However, before that, I could've sworn I'd caught the boy sitting across my seat on the left staring at me. Or wait. Was it me or the black haired girl next to me? I brooded about it for a while, but ultimately decided it wasn't worth investigating any further.

I adjusted my position on the seat, and closed my eyes for the rest of the journey.

The opening ceremony wasn't anything special. Just because it's ANHS doesn't mean they'll have some sort of fancy opening ceremony with a buffet or a dance-disco party of some sort. I guess some things never change, huh.

I looked down at my identification and admit pass for the school. I scanned the card, and inferred I had been placed in Class 1-D. I slipped the card back into my pocket, and walked towards the classroom I'd probably be spending quite some time in.

The classroom was a very normal.

There were a few people already in. I was towards the latter half entering the class. I recognized the pretty girl from the bus in my class. Scanning through the room, I noticed that Butterscotch Head, Silky-Black Hair and the guy I'd caught staring in my direction were all in my class. It was a surprising coincidence. Four familiar faces already.

I looked up ahead an searched for my seat. As I did, I heard a few murmurs and excited giggles go around in the class.

"Hey, he's really handsome right?" "He's totally my type!" "Maybe I should go talk to him!"

I was so used to this sort of situation. Ignoring the ogling stares from the girls and, for some reason, dagger-like stares from two boys I'd never met in my life from the last seat, I moved into the position assigned for me, second bench in the row furthest from the door.

"KEISUKE TAKEYAMA"

I slid into my spot, and slung my bag over the desk, and stared outside the window. Nice to have a window seat.

I surveyed the class once again. There were several people who had already started making friends. How they do this is something that will always remain beyond me. The last person in my row seemed to be the Staring Boy, and he was seated next to Silky-Black in the last bench. They were having a mild conversation, the thought of which reminded me of my forever-friendless status.

Soon enough, a young beautiful woman, who I assumed to be the homeroom teacher, walked into the classroom. All the chatter immediately subsided, and all attention turned to the sensei.

"Good morning class. I'm Chabashira Sae, and I'll be your homeroom teacher for your next 3 years at ANHS. There is no class shuffling in this school, hence I would recommend getting acquainted with your classmates. They'll be the same for the next 3 years. I'll be handing out the syllabus sheets now. Pass it on to the back benches."

The sheets were passed on from the person in front. He seemed to be a handsome type as well. I'd seen that all girls were focused only on our 2 benches. He gave me a warm smile as he passed on the syllabus sheet, and I returned a slight smile as well.

I looked over the sheet.

It was boring and utterly simple, so I folded it and kept it back into my back.

"Now", Chabashira-sensei continued, "you all have been given a cell phone on arrival. Please be wary that contact with the outside world in this school is prohibited. Also, you've all been given a set number of points on arrival. These points perform the job that money does in the real world. All and any purchases made will be paid only through these points. You all have started off with 100,000 points. Each point is worth one Yen."

The class flipped.

There were excited murmurs and frantic whispers at the thought of 100,000 Yen. A few of the girls had already started planning for a shopping spree, while the boys were discussing the best consoles available in the market right now.

"Your points will be transferred to your account at the beginning of each month. Also, there is no way to convert these points into real money", I could see a smirk form across sensei's face at this statement, "so there is no point in saving. All points after graduation will be declared null and void, so make sure to use them up beforehand."

"That's it for homeroom today. Classes start full fledged tomorrow."

With that, Chabashira-sensei exited the classroom.

"Hey, hey! We get 100,000 Yen right off the bat! This is soo insane!". Turning, I saw one of the boys who had been giving me evil stares celebrating his monetary success, apparently having forgotten about me for the time-being. The class agreed with his statement, and were planning all sorts of amusements to make their high school life complete.

I saw the boy sitting in front of me stand up, and turn to face the class with the same warm smile he had sent me. The class waited for him to speak up.

"Hello everyone, I think it'd be great if all of us could introduce ourselves to everyone here, so we can get to know names better! I think it'll be a great start to our high school lives." Most of the class nodded in affirmation to his request.

"I'll go first. My name is Hirata Yosuke, and I'd love for the class to get along well. I play quite a few sports, but I'm more of a soccer player. I hope to make great friends with everyone."

There it was. The savior of the class. The man who would undoubtedly garner the affection and attention of all peers. The class leader, per se.

"Such bullshit! There's no point in getting to know each other! What a waste of time!"

After spewing out words of disagreement, a tall boy with dyed red hair stormed out of the classroom. He looked quite the delinquent.

After getting through the introductions, I understood that the pretty girl from the bus was called Kikyo Kushida, and her main goal was to make friends with everyone in school. Silky-Black was named Suzune Horikita, although she was rather indifferent during her introduction, giving off certain cold vibes. Butterscotch Head was named Rokusuke Kouenji, and from what I understood, his ego shoots through the roof because he's the next heir to the Kouenji Conglomerate, or something like that. But the most interesting one was Staring Boy. He was called Kiyotaka Ayanokoji, and his introduction was rather monotonous. I get the feeling he's a bit socially awkward as well, just like me. I felt like I could relate.

"What about you? Would you introduce yourself for us?", Hirata said, looking my way.

I decided to give a very normal introduction, something that wouldn't attract too much attention.

"Umm, I'm Keisuke Takeyama. Pleased to make everyone's acquaintance. I don't have any particular hobbies, but I look forward to getting to know everyone better."

I heard excited giggles and signs of approvals from a few of the girls in class.

"Well thank you, Takeyama-kun", Hirata added warmly, "I guess that's it for everyone's introductions then! There were a few of our classmates who left before giving introductions, but I'm sure we'll all get together and be great friends!"

As I packed my bags to leave, a few people gathered around my desk.

"Hey, Takeyama-kun, would you be able to come along with us for a walk to the mall? It'll help us get to know you better as well!". I looked up, and saw a few of the girls plus Hirata cluttered around my desk.

"Sorry, I'll pass this time, I still need to go and fix up my room a bit. I'll come around next time."

"Ahh-ah that's ok! Absolutely fine! We'll be waiting!". From what I had inferred, the speaker was Maya Sato, if I'd got her name right. She seemed to be the carefree type.

I left the homeroom and headed for the dormitory, a sweet scent settling into the glorious evening air.

100,000 points.

Why would a school give this much freedom to its students? This question had been stuck in my head for quite a while. I decided to think it over in my room after setting it up.

Let's just call it a day.

Author's Note:

Damn. I wasn't expecting this chapter to be this long lmao.

Ok so this chapter was just to set things up for interesting events that are bound to take place soon. Our OC is very perceptive and shrewd, so nothing gets past him. I'll be entering the main events of the storyline soon enough.

Just a heads-up. There'll be several scenes that are not present in the LN, but the crux of the story remains the same. Feel free to send any feedback! Thanks for reading!

Chapter 02 - Manabu Horikita

The room was actually really well made. The fact that we were even getting our own rooms was hard to digest. I'd have thought it would be on a roommate basis, but looks like I was wrong.

I set down my bag in the corner. A normal sized bed, a TV, a study desk and a washroom. Stuff you'd normally expect. But there was a hallway, or a foyer, for each individual room, and a camera and microphone for unexpected visitors. Turning around in the hallway was a small but useful kitchen. Very handy indeed.

I plopped down on my bed and heard the gears in my head turn.

The point system still baffled me. Either it's just too good to be true, or maybe it was actually true. Even if I discount the possibility that it was actually true, I couldn't arrive at a satisfactory answer. The fundamental question of human existence plagued my mind.

Why?

Why would the school not openly speak about it? I was almost 90% sure that they could not afford to give us 100,000 Yen per month per student. Even if this was a government run institution, there's gotta be a limit to how much you spend behind just one student. Students are active 12 months a year. 3 years in the school. It amounted to 3.6 million Yen per student. It was too much.

There probably is a catch.

No, there must be a catch. I was sure of it. I just needed to figure out what it was. My clue was Chabashira-sensei's last sentence.

" There's no point in saving the points . Use them while you can"

Why would sensei intentionally coax us to use up our points? It was almost like she was guiding us towards spending everything beforehand without a care in the world. It didn't seem right. Even if you do get a 100,000 points a month, a faculty member should never try to guide a student the wrong way.

Another fact that bothered me was that on our mobile phones, these points were called 'Private Points'. If every student would anyways receive 100,000 points at the beginning of every month, why name it Private Points? Just Points would have been enough. The word Private seemed to indicate that there was a broader classification, and Private Points were just one of them. What if there were more types of Points? Such as, Discipline Points? Or Academic Points? Athletic Points? There was no proof that such points didn't exist, and were just being kept hidden from students.

I racked my brain a bit harder and thought about all the possible outcomes. The one that seemed most probable was that we would not get 100,000 points next month. Now that I think about it, sensei never said anything about receiving the same amount of points every month. Everything about her homeroom speech was just so... scripted. Like she was prepared to say just this, no matter the questions that would have been hurled at her by perceptive students.

If my reasoning was correct, then it led me on to another question. What determines the number of points we get every month? If if really does change, there must be factors determining these changes. Maybe behavior? Or academic results? Athletic prowess? These questions all remained unanswered at the back of my mind.

I'd answer them all later. I was sleepy.

The next day, I realized the big trouble that our class was in.

No one was taking classes seriously. Half of the students were either chitchatting, on their phones texting, or outright napping in the middle of class. No one except a few serious students, which included Yukimura, Horikita, Hirata, Wang-san and to an extent, Ayanokoji, was taking down notes.

But what struck me as most odd was that Chabashira-sensei did not say anything. She continued to teach the class as if nothing was wrong. I failed to understand why.

Maybe this was the test?

Is this what determined our points? If you think about it logically, then it would make perfect sense. You would get points only for what you're worth. If you don't pay attention in class, behave disrespectfully, score poor marks in exams and such, your Private Points would plummet as a result. But keeping tabs on each individual student would definitely be an impossible task for a teacher, who has to both teach and keep and eye open for anomalies.

Unless we were being watched by someone else.

It would lighten the load on the teacher, and improve overall efficiency of the entire procedure. I looked around the class for any clues. I caught Sato-san and Inogashira-san staring at me, and they quickly averted their gaze when it met mine. But that was not important as of now.

There was a camera in class.

If you didn't look properly, you would never notice it. It was a small device, lodged into the back corner of the classroom, right behind and above Ayanokoji's desk. Every 30 seconds or so, it blinked its light once, though very dim.

This confirmed a major part of my theory. We were being watched at all times, and our attitudes were being monitored, which would later reflect in our Private Points.

Would the seniors know anything about this? I didn't have any contacts yet, but it was worth a try to ask senior students about the Point System.

I decided to find out soon enough. But for now, I would pay attention in class. It was the least I could do help myself, even if it would turn out to be for naught in the end.

After school, there was an announcement made, that club activities would start for the first years, and there would be some sort of 'orientation' with all the clubs in the gymnasium in case we wanted to join one.

This was the perfect opportunity. There would definitely be seniors at the Club Orientation. I could ask and voice my concerns to the ones that seemed trustworthy.

"Takeyama-kun, wanna come along with us to the Club Orientation Session?"

Hirata was the one who asked me. Behind him there were several girls waiting eagerly for my reply.

"Sure. I was planning to go anyways.", I replied nonchalantly.

"Great! Then shall we?"

I nodded, and after slinging my back over my head, I headed out with Hirata and his harem to the Gymnasium.

"Takeyama-kun, I'm Maya Sato. Nice to meet you! I'd like to get to know you better."

"Nice to meet you, Sato-san, and likewise."

There was quite some banter centered around me and Hirata, most of them indirectly asking for our numbers. But either Hirata didn't catch onto that, or he did, and was doing the same thing that I was doing - ignoring number requests for now. I could, however, see that Hirata could hold a conversation really well. I knew it from the beginning, but being able to see it in person does make me wish I had better social skills. I was being focused on by a few of the girls, but I usually didn't speak much, and just nodded along with their excitement. Eventually, we reached the Gymnasium.

There were quite a few first years here. I could recognize a few of them from my class, but most of the faces were alien to me.

"Which club are you interested in joining, Takeyama-kun?", Inogashira-san asked me.

"I'm just browsing. I haven't really thought about it."

"I'm planning to join the soccer club. You could try it out as well, Takeyama-kun", Hirata interjected, reassuring me.

"I'm not sure about that. Besides, I've not really played soccer all that much."

As we continued to talk, there was someone who had got up on stage. As I turned to look, there was a purple-haired girl, hair tied into 2 buns on either side of her head, with a clipboard in one hand. From this position, one would think she was part of the Student Council.

"Good evening first years. I'm Akane Tachibana, Secretary of the Student Council. I welcome each and every one of you to the Club Orientation. Everyone interested in joining a club must submit their names to the respective Club Heads. Further instructions will be particular to each club, so please ask your Club Head for any clarifications."

Soon, Club Heads were introducing their clubs on stage, and several students were lining up with applications of their choice. I waited and kept window shopping, if I may.

After a few clubs were done introducing, a man with sleek black hair entered stage. He was wearing rimmed glasses, and had a sharp, calculating gaze directed at the assembled crowd. He stood at about 170 cm, not very tall. However, his calm demeanor had brought about a change in the Gymnasium. 2nd and 3rd year students were all intently looking at stage.

"I'm Manabu Horikita, and I'm the President of the Student Council at ANHS."

So this guy was the Student Council President. He did seem to have an air about him. The entire Gymnasium was deathly silent, and he had caught everyone's attention just by being there.

Wait, Horikita?

I thought it could be a coincidence. After all, it's not an uncommon surname. However, when I found Horikita Suzune looking at the stage with a straight line of sight, not blinking even once, I connected the dots.

He proceeded to talk about open Student Council applications, and left an awkward silence when he left the stage after his short announcement. He was a man who could capture the attention of all in such a short span.

Truly the right person to ask about the Point System.

After excusing myself from Hirata and his harem, I went over to meet and introduce myself to the Student Council President. Even though I might be an uneducated unsocial snob, I know when to talk and when not to, so it goes a long way. Sometimes, just listening can help improve social skills.

I found Manabu Horikita talking with Secretary Akane Tachibana, and another senior I hadn't seen before. He had a handsome face, blond hair and was taller than the elder Horikita. I proceeded to wait until their conversation was over, but it seems the blondie had noticed me. He came over to me, and he was followed by Manabu and Tachibana.

"To what pleasure do I owe a young first year student trying to strike a conversation with the President himself?", the blond asked me with a rather joking personality.

"I'm sorry to be rude and interrupt your conversation. My name is Keisuke Takeyama, Class 1-D. I was just here to ask an unrelated question to my senior."

"Well, well! Should we entertain him now, President?", the blond asked, taking a jab at me.

"Do not belittle your juniors, Nagumo", Manabu said calmly, and then turned to me, "I'll be willing to answer your question if it lies within my capabilities."

Perfect. "Well, my question could be perceived as a bit out of context, but could you possibly divulge to me any information about the Point System? I was a bit confused at the liberal nature of the school, giving out 100,000 points to each student every month. So I've been forced to think about the repercussions this policy might have."

I had hit the nail on the head. Nagumo's expression had changed from being reprimanded by the President to one of pure joy. Manabu, however, did not seem to entertain my question, and neither did Tachibana. I could definitely sense something was off with their reaction. My theory was a 100% correct. Your points would definitely decrease if you acted like a defect. I had figured this out by the reactions on each of their faces.

"I believe that is a sensitive topic, Takeyama", Manabu said, "and I cannot possibly divulge any information on this matter to you at the moment."

"No worries, Horikita-senpai", I said, bowing my head ever so slightly, "I'm sorry I inconvenienced you at all. Good day to you, senpai."

"Wait."

As I turned to leave, I heard Nagumo call out to me.

"I heard there were 2 very interesting students in the new first year batch. For you to figure out that there could be something wrong with the Point System right bang on your second day of school, you sure are a smart one, aren't you?"

"I believe there was no reason for such a statement, Nagumo", Manabu said, taking off his glasses to wipe them, "but I will concur that there were such students." He looked at me once, before continuing, "Your entrance exam scores. 60 marks in all subjects. And even more, you answered all the hard questions correctly and left the easy ones. What was your intention in doing that?"

Upon hearing this, Akane Tachibana's ears suddenly perked up. She was not aware of this information, but Nagumo and President Horikita were. This was certainly interesting. It led me to conclude that either President Horikita held Nagumo in high regard, or Nagumo held a higher position than Secretary Tachibana in the Council. Either way, the second option seemed most probable, so I inferred that Nagumo was most probably the Vice President.

I thought about the answer I should give. I didn't see any harm in saying the truth.

"I was bored, senpai, nothing more, nothing less."

As I turned to leave, my mind couldn't help but wander. Who was the other student?

Author's Note:

Aight, that's chapter 02 for y'all. Hope you enjoyed reading! Some Nagumo love please :) And as always, please feel free to tell me how you felt the chapter was! It'll be of great help as it's my first fanfic.

See ya next time champs.

Chapter 03 - Class Test

The girls had gone on ahead, chattering about Clubs and other unrelated topics, while Hirata and I trudged along behind them.

"So, Takeyama-kun, did you decide to join any clubs after all?", Hirata asked.

"Mhm. Not really. None of the clubs appealed to me."

"Oh, that's too bad I guess. I applied to the Soccer Club. The senpais seemed to be very friendly as well."

I nodded, and we slipped into a comfortable silence. Hirata continued to walk forward, gazing at seemingly nothing in front of him.

"Hey, Hirata, can I ask you for a favor?"

Hirata seemed to be momentarily stunned at the fact that I had started the conversation, but nevertheless smiled and welcomed the suggestion.

"Sure! What's bothering you, Takeyama-kun?"

"You can call me Keisuke. No need to be so formal."

"Alright then. You can call me Yosuke then", Hirata said brightly.

After a few seconds of silence, I finally spoke.

"Did you notice anything off about the Point System?"

Hirata looked at me with worried eyes. My guess was correct. Hirata was a perceptive and intelligent individual. He would have definitely caught up on some mischief that was the so-called Point System. After thinking for a few moments, Hirata spoke up.

"I have indeed. It seems very unlikely that the school would be willing to spend so much money on each student. It worries me. I don't think many of our classmates have really understood that. They seem to think that they'd get 100,000 points irrespective of what they do. It scares me, maybe it isn't like that. It seems you've noticed it too, Keisuke."

"Yes. I seem to have come to a logical conclusion though."

Hirata's eyes widened at my comment. "You mean you've successfully figured out the Point System?"

"I have a theory, but I doubt it is wrong.". With that, I began to explain the Point System that I had thought up then. It seemed Hirata was extremely confused at one point, but after some explanation, it seemed he had caught up on what I was trying to convey.

"That does seem like a good possibility, Keisuke. But may I ask how you figured out this information?", Hirata asked me.

"It was a no-brainer, really. I think there were several hints left behind my Chabashira-sensei in her opening homeroom speech. Also, my discovery of the camera hidden in the back of class also seemed to serve the purpose."

Hirata was thinking really hard. I understood it would be hard on him. This could be a major turning point in our future lives at ANHS. If Hirata, as a class mediator and leader, is unable to resolve this issue rather comfortably, I'd say he's not suitable to lead Class 1-D.

"What do you recommend, Keisuke? Shouldn't we inform the class of your suspicions and try to help everyone save their points?"

"I don't really want to stand out. You'd be the best person to relay the information to the class. I don't want any more attention on myself than I already have."

"So you're asking me to take credit for figuring out the Point System? I cannot possible do that, when I know you were the one who painstakingly figured it out."

"It's no big deal. As I said, it was a no-brainer. It didn't take me much time."

Hirata continued to stare at me for a while, then turned his head and let out an exasperated sigh.

"Alright. I'll inform the class about this first thing tomorrow."

"No."

Hirata was surprised at my contradiction. "But you just asked me to share it with the rest of the class, did you not?"

"I want to wait for a while. In case, just in case, my assumption is wrong, our classmates will blame you for acting stringently when they could have easily spent all their points. I cannot have my classmates lose trust in their leader because of me. Also, I want to see the behaviors of our classmates over the course of the next 2 weeks. I don't see why they need something like a warning just for them to pay attention in class. You should be naturally attentive."

Hirata remained silent at my reasoning. He tried to process the information I had dumped on him. He looked a bit tense at the thought, but he straightened up soon.

"Done. I'll inform the class later. When do you think I should let it open to the class?"

"The middle or end of the month, maybe. Around the 20th to 25th of April."

Hirata nodded at my words, and we continued to back to the dormitory in a comfortable silence.

The next 2 weeks didn't seem to do any better for Class 1-D. Sudo was still sleeping in class, Ike and Yamauchi were comparing the sizes of the breasts of all girls in the class, Kouenji was admiring himself in his mirror, and combing his hair. Overall, the rest of the class didn't seem to be very attentive. Hirata looked back at me, and gave me a non-verbal confirmation that he would be giving out the information today, as no one in class seemed to have understood anything.

As class ended, Hirata stood up and proceeded to the front of the class.

"Everyone, I have a very important announcement to make. I'd suggest listening." Chabashira-sensei stopped at the door, rather interested.

The entire class turned to look at Hirata. Even Sudo, Ike and Yamauchi, who had been collectively given the name 'Idiot Trio', turned and stopped to listen. This was why I didn't want to be the one to break the information. For those tedious 10 minutes, you'd be the prime center of attention in the classroom.

"What is it, Hirata-boy? I would suggest you finish this off fast. It is bad manners to keep senior girls waiting, after all", Kouenji said, flipping his hair in tandem to his statement.

"I promise it will not take long, Kouenji-kun", Hirata said, "but it is of prime importance. It's about the Point System that the school has imposed upon us."

Several heads turned inquisitively at Hirata's statement. Most of them absolutely dumbfounded, while a select few seemed to have some sort of idea about what Hirata was going to say. The one that caught my eye was however, my neighbor to my right, Chiaki Matsushita. She seemed to be the one least fazed by this development. It felt like maybe she knew what was going on.

Hirata gave a glance for a second, before continuing.

"I was a bit skeptical when it came to the Point System. It just feels so out of place to get 100,000 Yen every month. Hasn't this thought crossed anyone's mind?"

"Get to the point Hirata!", Ike shouted impatiently. A few of the girls cast him disgusting looks. Hirata, however, continued with a smile.

"Definitely, Ike-kun. What I meant was that I don't think we'll get 100,000 points next month."

"Huh!? Stop messing around with me! What do you mean we won't get points next month?!", Sudo bellowed, causing half of the the class to flinch at this rage.

"It doesn't mean we won't get any points. We might get lesser points, is what I'm saying. I think all our actions are being monitored. Our behavior, academic excellence, physical activities, they're all taken into account when we're given the Private Points. Don't you think it's rather suspicious that Chabashira-sensei doesn't reprimand any of us for acting out of order in class? In my opinion, it is highly surprising. It would only make sense if this was the case. I have also contacted my seniors in the soccer club, and they have refused to give me any information on this topic. Why would they not be willing to give any information? You hide information only if it is worth hiding. I think there definitely is a deeper system than we understand yet."

The class fell silent, and there were frantic whispers throughout the class, trying to digest the situation. Chabashira-sensei, having heard Hirata's words, snickered to herself, and walked out of class.

"What should we do then, Hirata-kun?", Wang-san asked nervously.

"I'd recommend first paying attention in class. If any of you have noticed, there is a small camera lodged into the back of the class", the entire class turned to look, and gasped at the inconspicuous looking device recording every movement from the back of the classroom, "they probably use it to keep an eye on us. Fixing our behavior should be of number on priority. Scoring well in tests, and making sure to attentively listen and take notes, all of these come under a model student's values."

"How can you be so sure about this, Hirata? Maybe we will get a 100,000 points next month anyways.", Yamauchi asked.

"There is always that possibility, Yamauchi-kun. However, I don't think it hurts to take a few precautionary measures just in case. It is beneficial for ourselves and is for the greater good as well". Hirata reasoned out a well played argument, and Yamauchi fell silent at this reply.

"I think what Hirata-kun said is correct", Kushida chimed in. This was great. Kushida was seen as an angel in the class. She'd be able to rope in the entire class into the plan. "We must act like model students, and make sure we don't lose any more points in the future!"

None of the students in class could refute Hirata's statement any longer. Even Sudo, who looked rather pissed at the turn of events, complied with Kushida's request. This was the power Kikyo Kushida wielded. It would definitely be handy later on.

The class ended, and all students left for either Club activities, or headed out with their friends, discussing the new Point System. I waited a bit longer to leave, and I had to turn down Sato-san, Inogashira-san and Karuizawa-san in their attempts to walk home with me. Soon, I saw Hirata turn to look at me, and we left the class together.

"How did I do?", he asked, after making sure we were out of earshot.

"Perfect", I replied, "this is what the class needed. A push the right way. It was a good decision to let you do the talking."

"I still feel bad for taking credit in figuring it out though", Hirata said.

"That's alright", I said with a smile, "I wouldn't have been able to do it the way you handled it."

Hirata bid me farewell and headed down to the soccer field, while I decided to head back to my room.

The class mood had greatly improved the next day. Several more students were paying attention in class now. Ike-kun and Yamauchi-kun were also taking down notes. Sudo, although not taking down notes, was at least not sleeping, and this was a major improvement.

It was the 30th of April. One more day, and I would be able to confirm the entire system. On the first day of each month, points should be added to every student's account.

Chabashira-sensei walked into class, with a solemn look on her face.

"We'll be having a surprise test today. Put your books away."

The class went into uproar. Several students were panicking at the thought of the test. Of course, no one had been studying properly, let alone give a test.

"That's so unfair, Sae-chan-sensei!", Ike cried out, "you can't suddenly spring a test on us!"

"Of course I can, you're all students, you must be prepared for all sorts of predicaments", Chabashira-sensei replied sharply. "However, these marks will not be reflected in your final grades, so you can take this test easy."

The class heaved a sigh of relief, and decided to take the test lightly.

I, Keisuke Takeyama, however, had different plans.

The timings of this test alerted me.

Was there a specific reason sensei had chosen 30th April as the test date? It seemed a little surprising that she wouldn't take this test later, say in the first week of May. Most tests are conducted in the first week of the month. Conducting it right on the last day seemed too out of character. Should I take the test seriously? Or should I half-ass it? Or maybe I should get an average score? I wasn't very sure of the academic capabilities of my class, so I couldn't possibly know what the average score would be.

As the tests were passed out, I decided to get 80 marks in the test. It seemed like a good score. Not too high, not too low. It was a necessary measure to hide one's abilities in this school, from what I've seen. The Point System being the way it is, asked for it. Keeping a hidden weapon would always serve for you in the end.

The test was absolute trash. I could solve the entire paper in my head. As I continued to write down the answers, skipping the easy ones just for fun, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye.

Chiaki Matsushita has just erased a correct answer on her paper, and written an incorrect one.

Was it a silly error? No, I didn't think so. She had gotten one of the harder questions right. She was purposely lowering her score to meet a certain average, just like I was. I was rather surprised that someone of my caliber could possibly be in this school.

Was she the other student Nagumo was talking about? I couldn't be sure. Regardless, I handed in my paper at the 45 minute mark and left homeroom.

Author's Note:

Hello everyone! I finally know the feeling of having someone add your story into their reading list, and actually getting my first vote on a story. It feels phenomenal. Thank you!

I don't really have much to add here. OC seems to be wary of Chiaki now as well. We'll see how this one pans out.

Have a great week folks.

Chapter 04 - Reveal

I woke up in a rather grumpy state on the 1st. After getting dressed up and tying my hair up, I proceeded to check my mobile phone for the Private Points.

I had previously checked last night that I had exactly 76,347 points in my name.

I had only 83,447 points today morning.

That means I had received only 7,100 points this month.

To be honest, I wasn't expecting my points to drop this low. I had been paying attention in class. Which could mean only one thing. Everyone had received only 7,100 points in Class 1-D. The Private Point System was dependent on something else that I hadn't taken into account.

Somehow, all the Private Points of students in a particular class are linked. Even though Hirata, Horikita, Yukimura and I had payed attention in classes, the behavior of the other students had brought about our downfall as well. I could see the entire system played out in front of me like a map. It was clear to me now.

There was definitely something called 'Class Points' which I had not taken into account.

However, the fact that even though the entire class had been attentive the last 2 weeks, our points had still dropped by 92,900 points. If Hirata had not warned the class to remain attentive, we might not have received any points for this month.

I checked the time, and left for class before it was too late.

There was a mixed atmosphere in class. A few students were consumed by the doom and gloom, while others like Ike-kun and Yamauchi-kun were frantically complaining and screaming about how they had received such less points. After confirming with Hirata that he too had received exactly 7,100 points, I sat down at my desk, seemingly lost in thought.

Chabashira-sensei walked into class at the stroke of the bell.

"Uhm, sensei", Ike started, "we did not receive the correct amount of points for this month. When will the rest of the points arrive?"

"The school has not made any mistake. All your points have already been distributed", sensei replied.

"But we were supposed to receive 100,000 points", Yamauchi butted in, "surely there's been a mistake? We have all got only 7,100 points."

Chabashira-sensei looked down at the teacher's desk, and sighed rather loudly, for everyone in class to hear clearly.

"Pathetic. Such idiots."

There was a moment of silence at Chabashira-sensei's harsh remark. When the silence continued, Hirata was the one to finally break it.

"Uhm, sensei, I think we're all very confused at the turn of events. It would help us a lot if you could explain what is going on."

"Certainly. I will explain what is going on. All of you have been given the correct number of points. The exact number of points you deserve."

Sensei looked over the class once, and continued.

"A total of 92 absences and late arrivals. 323 cases of usage of mobile phones in class. Your class resultsare displayed in the Private Points you receive. This month, you all were evaluated to be worth 7,100 Yen. That's all that's happened."

The class fell silent. I could hear a pen scratching against paper. I peeked back to see Horikita furiously writing something down.

"Sensei, why weren't we told of this befo-"

"Do I really need to explain things like these?", sensei shot back.

"But we would have paid more attention had we known the rules beforehand sensei.", Hirata interjected.

"Why do you say so, Hirata? Do I need to specify these rules? Isn't it bad etiquette to use your mobile phones or talk during class? What were you taught in junior high before coming here?"

Nobody could argue back at this reasoning. It's because it was absolutely correct. We were supposed to pay attention in class. It's nothing that needs to be told repeatedly.

Chabashira-sensei continued with her verbal onslaught. She proceeded to take out a chart she had brought along with her, and hung it on the blackboard.

CLASS POINTS:-

Class A - 960

Class B - 850

Class C - 640

Class D - 71

Class Points, huh? My hypothesis had been correct.

"Wait, there's something wrong with this chart. How can the other classes have these many points? And what exactly are these points?", Ike asked frantically.

"Quiet Ike, let me explain", sensei rebuked. "These are Class Points (CP). Each class starts with 1000 CP, and it decreases or increases depending on various factors. Your CP multiplied by 100 give you the number of Private Points (PP) each student of a class receives on the first day of the month. Your class has 71 CP. Hence, you all received 7,100 PP this month."

"But that doesn't explain why other classes have so many points!", Yamauchi practically shouted this out.

Chabashira-sensei let out one last sigh.

"Have you idiots still not figured it out? Other classes were graded in the same way. They were worth more points than you, hence they received more CP. The class system is a hierarchy. You all have been put into Class D for a simple reason.

You are all defects. Worst of the worst. That is why you are all in Class D."

The truth seemed to hit the class on their faces like a brick. The entire class fell silent, and contemplated the meaning of the situation. I, on the other hand, had decided that the birds outside my window seat were far more interesting.

Sensei pulled out another chart out of seemingly nowhere, and hung it over the previous Class Point chart. It showed the scores of our surprise test yesterday.

Looks like 80 was not a good choice. It was rather high, and I was placed 4th in class. I would've expected a school like ANHS to have a very high average score, but it looks like idiots do exist everywhere.

Kouenji had tied with Yukimura for highest score, 90 points. However, the rest of the results were far more depressing.

"Looks like we have quite a few idiots in this class", sensei said, "what were you guys even studying in junior high? If this were a real test, 7 of you would have been expelled."

The scores were more concentrated on the lower half. Ignoring Sudo, who had scored an impressive 14 points, there were several students below the 30 point line.

"Ex-ex-expelled!?", Ike screamed. He had scored 25 points, not something to be proud of in the least. "We weren't told about that!"

"Well, now you know. Anyone who scores below the passing grade in the coming midterms 2 weeks from now, will be expelled." And with that, Chabashira-sensei drew a red line above Kikuchi, who had scored 31 points. "Anyone whose score is equal to or lower than 31 points would have failed this exam. However, you will not be expelled now. The real thing starts in the midterms."

With that last jab, Chabashira-sensei dismissed homeroom, and left the class.

"Oi, Takeyama-kun!", Yamauchi shouted and begged, "you're smart right? You have points right? I'll sell you my console for the grand discounted price of 20,000 points. Please?"

So this is what the class had descended into. There was some sort of economical cycle that had been set up. Points were being exchanged everywhere — or more like they were trying to get the ones who had saved up their points to give it up.

"I'll buy it for 1,000 points."

"No way! I'm not going below 20,000!", Yamauchi screamed, before heading over to the Professor to continue his entrepreneurial attempt.

Hirata had been trying to calm the class down from its frenzy. Everyone seemed to have lost points. I noticed that Ayanokoji-kun, however, had quite a few points, since Yamauchi went to him next to sell his console. I did not think Ayanokoji-kun would be the type to save up points. From my first impression of him, he was the most normal person I'd ever lain eyes upon. He must have started saving up points after Hirata's speech the other day. Or was there some other reason? Had he figured out the System earlier as well? He didn't come across as smart. He had an average score in the surprise test, a 61. Unless he was holding back as well, I couldn't really comment.

Suzune Horikita was also an able student. She had scored 87 on the test, not an easy feat at all. The last few questions in the paper were quite difficult, so she must have solved a few of them to get an 87. Her attitude was definitely a problem, though. Maybe the reason she had been put in Class D.

Wait, why am I in Class D again? It was probably due to the fact that I held back in the entrance exam. If my conjecture is correct, Chiaki Matsushita had held back, too, and it could be a prime reason why we were in Class D. Or maybe it was due to my pathetic social skills. Or maybe both.

I don't think I'll stick around to find out, though.

Kouenji had already left the class, but I figured he had points from all the senior girls who keep flocking to his side at the cafes. Ever since his position as the next heir to the Kouenji Conglomerate was disclosed, he had been surrounded by 2nd and 3rd year girls.

Meanwhile, Hirata had decided to take action on behalf of the class. Go Hirata, go.

"Everyone, I don't think it is wise to panic and run around. In this kind of situation, we must stay calm and try to think about how we can increase our CP starting from next month. The first thing we must focus on is definitely our regularity and attendance in class. We have done it before, and maybe that was the reason our CP didn't drop down to zero", a few students shuddered at the thought, "and deal with the present situation in hand."

Everyone agreed with Hirata's opinion.

"What do you mean, present situation, Hirata?", Miyake Akito butted in. I didn't know much about him, except that he was in the Archery Club.

"The upcoming Midterms", Hirata said grimly, "we must do well in these exams. There are chances of people potentially dropping out if their scores don't meet the cut-off."

"What do you think we should do then, Hirata?!", Ike cried out, "I'm absolutely screwed for the Midterms! I have no idea what even happens in class!"

"Yeah, same here!", Yamauchi chimed in. The ones who had come in towards the end of the rankings were now extremely scared at the thought of being expelled.

"I think we must start study groups", Hirata suggested, "everyone who had scored well in this test can handle the responsibility of tutoring a few students. I think this will be the best way to study for the Midterms." Everyone was in sync with this idea.

Maybe I shouldn't have scored an 80 in the surprise test. I would almost certainly have to lead a study group now.

"Keisuke, will you be willing to lead a study group? You seem to have scored very high in the surprise test.", Hirata said. Now, I didn't have the heart to turn this man down. He was doing his very best to ensure everyone in class passed, and I could definitely do my part to help.

"Sure", I said, "I'll take care of one group."

"Great! I think Mii-chan, Yukimura-kun, Horikita-san and I can handle 4 other study groups?"

Everyone except Horikita-san agreed. "Count me out of it, Hirata. I have no intention of helping anyone else study. They can do it themselves."

"But Horikita-san, you scored really well in the test. Surely you can help your classmates a bit?", Hirata tried to press her on.

"No. Leave me out of it". Her crisp and decisive answer had Hirata leave her alone.

"Very well. Do inform us if you change your mind, Horikita-san". With that, homeroom ended, and there was a sudden announcement through the speakers :-

'Kiyotaka Ayanokoji of Class 1-D, please report to the Teacher's Staff Roomimmediately'

The entire class watched Ayanokoji-kun head out of the class towards the staff room, their gazes drilling holes in his back.

What was the reason he had been summoned to the Teacher's Staff Room? It felt odd. Unfortunately, I had no way of knowing.

I headed out of the classroom towards the dormitory, with the girls arguing about who gets to be in my study group.

Author's Note:

Supp. I have a few chapters written out in advance so that I can publish frequently in the beginning at least. Tell me how you liked this new chapter!

Chapter 05 - Preparation

A/N:

A bit of swearing involved, nothing else to see here.

_

The study groups had been initialized, and full fledged preparation for the Midterms was already underway. My group consisted of Maya Sato, Inogashira Kokoro, Ryotaro Hondo, Kayano Onodera and, surprisingly, Chiaki Matsushita. She was definitely someone who did not need help. I'd have to think about how to deal with her soon enough.

The library was filled with students from all classes forming their own study groups and preparing for the exams. Our table was located towards the corner of the library, so there was relatively lesser noise compared to the other tables. Hirata's study group was in the next table.

I had tied up my long black hair into a bun, and wore my glasses. I usually didn't need them unless I was reading; in fact, I didn't even need them. I've had several girls state that I have a relatively feminine face, and I did not refute. I probably did.

"Takeyama-kun, how do you solve this problem? I don't get it.", Sato-san asked me. From what I had understood, Sato-san lacked in Mathematics. She was fine in Literature and Japanese History, so I didn't bother to teach them to her.

I looked down at her notebook. "You cannot use that formula. It doesn't apply in this problem." Saying so, I grabbed my pencil and wrote down a formula we had learnt in class a few days back.

"Try solving it with this. Once you get it, go ahead with the second exercise of the textbook. It contains similar problems."

"Yes! Thanks Takeyama-kun!", Sato-san said brightly, and proceeded to work on the sum.

"Takeyama-kun, you're a surprisingly good teacher, eh?" Chiaki Matsushita was the one who asked me this, "have you done this before?"

"No, it's my first time", I honestly replied, "I've never really taught anyone anything before."

"Haw? But you seem to be really good at it. I'd think you've done this before many times", Onodera-san said.

"I'm not really sure. Guess I just have a knack for it, that's all."

They seemed to be satisfied at my explanation, and continued to work on their problems. Hirata called me out from the other table. I excused myself, and went over to meet him.

"I see you're doing really well, Keisuke. The girls seem to follow and study more when you're around", Hirata said.

"I could say the same for you, Yosuke", I replied, "it's the same for you as well."

"Well, hopefully it stays this way", Hirata said with a smile, before returning to his seat.

I moved on forward towards a table whose conversation I had overheard. I made my way through the library, and arrived at the table at the center, where Class B seemed to be having their own study session. I made sure not to look their way, and proceeded to pick out a random reference book from the shelf and flipped through it.

"... for this sum". I heard a sweet voice say this. I peeked from behind my book. I could see a beautiful golden hair girl helping out a fellow classmate with a Math sum. Her name was Honami Ichinose, and she was the leader of Class B. From what I had heard, Class B relied heavily on unity and friendship, and had put a great deal of trust on Ichinose-san. Ichinose-san was famous throughout our school year, being regarded as one of the kindest in the grade.

I listened in to their conversation for a little longer, but it seemed like they weren't talking about anything important, and were sincerely studying for the Midterms.

I picked up the reference book and headed back to my seat.

When I was conversing with Hirata a few minutes later, I caught onto a significant portion of Class B's conversation next table.

"... is not enough, Himeno-san", my ears perked up, "you must focus on Japanese History a bit more", Ichinose-san was the speaker of this statement.

"I agree", a handsome young man interjected, who I assumed was Class B's secondary leader, Ryuji Kanzaki, "41 is not enough. A thorough run-through of the textbooks is what is in store for you, Himeno-san. The Midterms won't be as forgiving as this surprise test was. We cannot afford to fail."

I was baffled at this statement. There was a student in Class B who had secured 41 in the surprise test, but had still failed. In Class D, the passing score was 32. It seemed in Class B this score was higher.

Why was this so? I assumed it would be because Class B had more academically gifted students, so the teachers might have thought it would be necessary to increase the passing score. This, however, contradicted Chabashira-sensei's statement that all Classes had been graded and marked the same way. I tried to picture a situation where the passing grade would be different for different classes in the same grade, but I couldn't come up with anything worthwhile.

"... Takeyama-kun? Is everything alright?", I heard a worried voice, which snapped me out of my daze.

"Oh, it's nothing", I reassured Inogashira-san, "I just zoned out for a bit. Sorry."

After explaining linear differential equations to Hondo-kun, I proceeded to stare at my notebook and brood over my assumption. Class B had a passing grade of at least 42 points. If this were true for Class B, then it would definitely be true for Class C and A as well. There was definitely a method used to determine the passing score for each class. If we could figure out the method, then tackling the Midterms might become easier.

The rest of the evening passed with significant progress, and Hirata, Yukimura, Mii-chan and I had stayed back to confirm on the progress we had made. After a small discussion, we called it a day and headed back to the dorms.

The route to the dorms was scenic. The Sun had already set, and there was a slight red tinge remaining in the sky. I breathed in the fresh air and took my mind off unnecessary thoughts to live in the moment.

As I walked on ahead, I noticed Ayanokoji-kun walk into an alley on the left. Strange. If I remember correctly, that alley leads to nowhere. I increased my pace, curious at the sudden turn of events. So much for living in the moment.

I slowed down as I reached the mouth of the alley.

"... drive that in, weren't you?". I heard Ayanokoji-kun's voice.

"Aya - Ayanokoji-kun!", I heard a familiar girl's restrained voice. No doubt, that was Suzune Horikita.

"It is bad manners to eavesdrop."

Wait, what was Manabu Horikita doing here? My curiosity had peaked. I took out my cell phone and turned on the front selfie camera. I pointed it into the alley, and used it as a mirror to see what was going on.

Ayanokoji-kun had Manabu Horikita's right hand in his grip, while the President had pinned his younger sister to the wall by her wrists. She did not show any sign of resisting.

"Fine. Let her go.", Ayanokoji-kun said.

"That's my line."

The 2 stared at each other for a few seconds. Eventually, Ayanokoji loosened his grasp on the President's hand. Manabu released Suzune, but in a flash, lashed out his left arm in a backhand. Ayanokoji-kun jumped back with incredible reflexes, and Manabu brought his right leg up in a jab kick, aimed at Ayanokoji's left shoulder.

The best option here would be to block the kick instead of dodging. Dodging the kick would require sufficient movement of the legs, and would leave you vulnerable to the next attack.

It seemed Ayanokoji-kun thought so as well, and brought his right palm and shoved away the elder Horikita's leg. Both the fighters stood their stance once again, and Manabu relaxed.

"You move well. Do you practice?"

"Piano and calligraphy."

I had to hold back my laughter there. I would have been caught otherwise.

"Is he your friend, Suzune?", Manabu directed this question at his younger sister.

"No, he's not. Just a classmate."

"Once again, you confuse solitude with independence", Manabu said, "but if I were you, I'd get to know this man right here better." The President himself had acknowledged Ayanokoji-kun. Was it a coincidence?

"I hope to see you soon, Ayanokoji." With that, Manabu walked off in the other direction towards the 3rd Year Dorms.

I proceeded to run back the way I had come to act as if I were never here. When I was a sufficient distance off, I turned around and walked back to the same alley, and I saw Ayanokoji and Horikita exit the alleyway. They sat down on the bench next to the vending machine, and ordered 2 drinks.

I passed by them, completely oblivious to the fact that I had listened in. However, I suddenly remembered something I needed to ask Horikita.

I exchanged pleasantries with Ayanokoji-kun and Horikita-san.

"Horikita-san, do you by any chance have a picture of the results of the surprise test that were held last week? I need them to get a better idea of where our class stands at the moment, and it would be helpful for the group study sessions as well."

Horikita was initially perplexed at my request, but nevertheless, sent me the picture of the class results. I thanked her, and made my way back to the dorms.

I learnt the next morning that Horikita would be tutoring the 3 idiots by herself. A real change in attitude. Those 3 had failed to turn up at any of our study sessions, and would say that their self study would be sufficient for passing the Midterms. Horikita had then taken matters into her own hands, and proceeded to make a study group for those 3.

The class seemed to be doing well over the study groups. If the pace continued, we would definitely be able to clear the Midterms without much hassle.

After class that day, I had been approached by Kikyo Kushida.

"Say, Takeyama-kun, do you have a moment?", she asked sweetly.

Goddamn that smile. Even if I didn't have a moment, I would be forced to say that I did. Kushida was surely very cute and terrifying at the same time. I could see several of the boys cast me nasty looks, that seemed to say 'Die'.

"Sure. What is it?"

"So you see, my goal in school is to make as many friends as possible! But it turns out that you're the only person in the class whose number I still don't have! So would you please please give me your contact, Takeyama-kun?", she asked pleadingly with puppy eyes.

How can I say no.

"Sure. I'll write it down for you." Saying so, Kushida leapt in joy and handed me her mobile phone. I quickly saved my number on her phone.

"Yay, thank you so much Takeyama-kun! I'm sure we'll be great friends!", Kushida chimed in. I smiled. Such a sweet girl.

"Also, Takeyama-kun, we're having a group study session in Ayanokoji-kun's room today. Horikita-san, Sudo-kun, Ike-kun and Yamauchi-kun will be there too. Will it be possible for you to join in as well? A calm and collected mind like yours will be very helpful in calming them down in case things go out of control."

I gave it a thought. Ayanokoji-kun's room? I might not get such a chance later. I've been recently having my own growing suspicions of Ayanokoji lately, after all. He was called to the Teachers Staff Room the other day, and his fighting skills were on par as well, as I had witnessed with Manabu Horikita.

However, I couldn't possibly barge into the room of a person I'd never properly even talked to before.

"I'm sorry, Kushida-san. I don't think my coming would be a good idea. I'm not closely acquainted with any of them, and I feel like you're the best mediator in our class", I smiled as I said this, "I think I'll skip out on this one."

"Ah! That makes sense. Sorry if my question made you uncomfortable, Takeyama-kun.", Kushida-san apologized.

"No worries."

With that, we left homeroom.

Walks in the night were becoming a usual of my routine now.

It was calming, and brought about a sense of tranquility in me. Even though it was April, the night breeze proved to be much colder than anticipated.

I glanced at my wristwatch. It was getting close to 8:00 pm. I must head back now. Better to not stay out this long.

I passed by the back of the dormitories, when I noticed Ayanokoji-kun walk out of the building. He didn't seem to have noticed me, though. Why was he out so late at night again? Was he going to rendezvous somewhere?

I decided to follow.

I kept a fair amount of distance between us. I was being cautious. I still did not understand Ayanokoji very well. It would be better to keep my distance. He seemed to be searching for someone, and he looked here and there.

He took the outer staircase that led to the dorm roofs.

A meeting on the roof, eh?

I followed him, keeping at least 3 flights of stairs difference between us. Eventually, he stopped right outside the door to the roof.

Why did he stop?

I tiptoed up to the second last floor, standing right below Ayanokoji. If I was not mistaken, I heard a voice coming from the roof. Ayanokoji had opened the door to the roof a bit as well, and I was able to listen in.

"Such absolute idiots! I f*cking hate them! They keep staring at my body with such lewd expressions! A*holes! And Horikita-san! What does she think of herself? She's so goddamn irritating! Die, die, die, die, DIE!"

Kikyo Kushida, you're a very interesting person.

Author's Note:

I love how this chapter turned out. We're slowly entering into the thick of the plot. Tell me how you liked the chapter! Also, a big thanks to all my readers! I was never expecting my story to actually garner a following. It's a pleasure writing for y'all! Sorry for beingpresumptuous, but feel free to hit on the vote button! It really helps me reach this fic out to a wider audience!

Until next time, bois. Take care.

Chapter 06 - Kikyo Kushida

Kikyo Kushida, you're surely an interesting person.

I peeked up to see Ayanokoji-kun's expression. However, it seemed unnecessary, as I couldn't read his face. It remained mostly expressionless, but I could detect a hint of surprise. I assume he also did not expect this development.

No one knew about this side of Kushida. She's always viewed as the Class Angel, the woman who would rescue all the boys from perpetual loneliness. But here there was a different person altogether. A cold, violent, two-faced maniac, who was spouting words of rage at every single classmate possible.

Ayanokoji-kun pushed open the door with a rather loud noise, and all the ranting on the roof stopped at once. Was it on purpose? I did not expect Ayanokoji to open the door and reveal his presence so easily. Or maybe it was accidental? The probability of it being accidental was low. I had witnessed Ayanokoji's fight with the Student Council President, and he did not seem to be the person who would lose his footing and balance easily. It led me to think he had opened the door on purpose.

"Aya - Ayanokoji-kun." The voice on the other end was no longer the voice of an angelic savior. It was that of pure hatred, revenge and vengeance. A drastic change from her usual personality, if you ask me.

"Sorry, I did not mean to be here. You forgot your mobile phone in my room, so I came to return it back to you."

Ahh. So that was it. Accidental after all. I made my way up the last flight of stairs, stopping right outside the ajar door, and turned on the voice recorder on my mobile phone.

"Did you hear?", Kushida asked, or more like, demanded.

"Would you believe me if I say I didn't?"

Kushida let out a long sigh. "Well, then I guess there is no point in hiding it." She immediately pressed Ayanokoji against the wall, and continued to stare daggers at him. She looked scary.

Her eyes were no more the eyes of the Kushida I knew. It was cold, calculating and observant, trying to predict the opponent's next move with just logic and expressions. A terrifying asset.

"If I were you, I would never tell anyone what you heard or saw today." When Ayanokoji did not respond, she continued, "Don't tell a soul about what you saw today, and don't interfere in my life. I'll let you go if you swear."

"What if I do tell the class?", Ayanokoji asked. A good question.

"Then I'll tell everyone you raped me."

"That's a false accusation, you know that right?"

"No, I don't think it is", with that, Kushida grabbed hold of Ayanokoji's hand and placed it on her left breast. The scene unfolding before my eyes was truly extraordinary. This voice record would serve me well in the future.

Ayanokoji tried to resist and take his hand off, but Kushida held it firmly in place. I'm sure he would not raise his hand on a woman. I knew he had the strength to resist, but he purposefully did not show it.

"I'll keep this uniform in my room without washing it. Your fingerprints are on my clothes. If you even think of betraying me, I'll turn you in. I'll drag you down along with me."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka said nothing. He stood in silence, contemplating his next move. Any other person in this situation would freak out of their wits. But Ayanokoji showed no signs of being cornered. I had to applaud his headstrong and spontaneous reaction.

Kushida slowly left Ayanokoji's hand and moved back, and turned to leave. I quickly switched off my recording, pocketed my phone and quietly ran down the stairs.

"Ayanokoji-kun, show me your phone."

"Why?"

"Prove to me that you aren't recording this conversation."

I didn't hear anything for a while, but then heard a murmur of approval from Kushida-san. Which meant Ayanokoji had not been recording the conversation.

"Kushida-san, which is the real you?", Ayanokoji asked one last question. I stopped midtrack, on the second last floor, keen on hearing the answer.

However, I did not get any, and as I heard footsteps, I ran down the stairs and towards the dormitory. I stopped at a certain distance, on a spot which would have been crossed if I had been taking my normal evening stroll. So even if I were questioned by Kushida, I could deny all evidence of even being there. I had an alibi in Ayanokoji, since he knew I usually take evening strolls at around this time. He could not bring up Kushida's alter ego topic either, as she had him gagged with a threat of false rape.

In the end, it worked out well. Before heading back to my room, I decided to head over to Keyaki Mall for some supplies, which I would need later on.

The rest of the week continued smoothly. The atmosphere in the class hadn't changed a bit. Kikyo Kushida was acting her usual way, being the Class Mediator and Angel. There was no hint that her secret had been exposed to Ayanokoji, and without her knowledge, to me. She was a wonderful actor, keeping a happy and cheerful face on at all times, knowing how much she loathed everyone around her.

On an unrelated note, Hirata Yosuke now had a girlfriend. Kei Karuizawa.

I didn't know they were compatible. But seeing that Kei Karuizawa was the leader of the Class D girls, and Hirata was the entire Class Moderator, you could see why they would be dating. Maybe I did not understand Hirata all that well. I didn't know he would be one to get a girlfriend.

I wasn't very familiar with relationships. Granted, I was termed the 'Love Guru' back in middle school, and I was approached by several guys for dating advice, how to ask your crush out, how to hold hands on your first date, and so on. To be honest, I did not, and still do not know the correct answer to these questions. I had always assumed that relationships would be easy to handle. But human emotions are much more complicated. And I was not good at reading them. I've thought the best answer to these sort of questions would be a logical approach instead of gut instinct.

If the girl looks uncomfortable, move away a bit and give her space. If she doesn't, then you can try your next move. A simple if-else statement.

But I've never had a girlfriend, so I wouldn't know I was correct myself. I shook these unwanted thoughts out of my head, and focused on class instead.

From the Midterm perspective, it seemed even though there was discord within Horikita's study group, everything had more or less come under control, and Sudo was actually studying. I did not know what strings Horikita had pulled to achieve this, but I'd say it was working well.

After class that day, as I was about to leave, I was approached by Chiaki Matsushita.

"Wanna walk back to the dorm together?", she asked me nonchalantly.

There were certain things about Chiaki Matsushita that I still do not understand, like why she holds back in tests. I would have asked her about it anyways, but it seemed she had beat me to it. There was no reason for me to refuse.

"Sure."

With that, we walked out of class together, and I heard some of the girls furiously whispering amongst themselves as we left. Strange.

"I wanted to thank you for helping us all out in the study group sessions", Matsushita started, "we'd absolutely be nowhere without your help."

"Your welcome. I'm doing it for the entire class, so I don't think you need to be particularly grateful", I replied.

"You're rather cheeky, Takeyama-kun", Matsushita-san spoke, "To be honest, I had always thought that you were unapproachable. You are very quiet and reserved in class, and never really speak unless you're spoken to. But now that I'm talking to you alone in person, you don't seem like that. You're much more softer and nicer to hang around". With that, Matsushita-san directed a genuine smile at my direction.

My lips turned upwards into a small smile, and Matsushita noticed it. She knew I wouldn't respond to her comment, but she was satisfied nonetheless with my expression.

We continued to walk towards the dormitory, and I finally decided to break the silence.

"Matsushita-san, why do you hold back in tests?"

My words seemed to have hit the nail on the head. She turned to look at me with an incredulous look on her face, and her smile slowly faltered. However, she soon regained her composure, and gave me a soft smile. She must know that she cannot refute my statement. It would be wise if she owned up to it.

"How did you figure it out?"

There. She owned up.

"Nothing, really. When we were writing the surprise test, you had intentionally erased a correct answer and written a wrong one. I had first passed it off as coincidence, but I glanced at your paper a second time, and you had answered the second last question correctly. It was of the same difficulty level as the previous problem, so I guessed you were holding back."

"Indeed I am. I don't want to stand out much. It would be a pain to, don't you think?", Matsushita-san replied, "but the fact that you figured so much out after just one test. You're much more capable than what meets the eye, aren't you, Takeyama-kun? I was planning to keep it hidden until I graduated. There was no point in showing it all anyways."

Chiaki Matsushita was very interesting as well. She was planning to keep her abilities hidden even if they were desperately needed. She was one of a kind. Usually, people like to show off their capabilities to garner popularity. But she was the complete opposite. She wanted a peaceful high school life, something which would not be possible if you ended up getting popular. To an extent, I was inclined to agree with her.

"I just happened to be lucky to notice the anomaly in your paper. Maybe I hadn't been paying enough attention to my own paper that I got distracted to look at yours."

"Even though, you still found out really fast. Can I ask you of a favor, Takeyama-kun? Could you please keep this a secret between us? I really don't want any of the other girls to know."

"I can do that", I said reassuringly, "your secret is safe with me, Matsushita-san."

"Thank you! And call me Chiaki.", she said.

"Then please feel free to call me Keisuke", I replied with a slight smile.

She nodded happily, and we walked towards the dormitory after exchanging contact information.

I was weighing my options.

The first one seemed to be the more logical option, but the second one seemed to be more fun. It does get hard to make decisions sometimes.

I ultimately chose the blue hoodie over the black one.

I was going through my closet in my dorm room. There were certain clothes I had from my younger days, but none of them fit me now. I had head over to Keyaki Mall the other day, and got a few essentials, but I had forgotten to buy new clothes. I still had over 80,000 points, so I was pretty well stacked. I could definitely afford to get a few decent clothes.

But before that, there was something I had to do.

I took out my mobile phone, and sent a few messages to people I knew. I then switched into an incognito messaging mode, which was one of the devices I had purchased from Keyaki Mall the other day.

After having written down my messages, I hit the 'SEND' button, and all messages were instantly dispatched to their respective receivers. I turned off my phone, and laid down back in my bed, drifting off into sweet slumber.

There was a decent rush in the cafeteria today during lunch hours. I usually sat alone when having lunch, or I was invited to a table by either Sato-san or Hirata. Today, however, I had other plans.

I sat down in one of the empty tables at the corner of the cafeteria. I wasn't planning to have lunch with either Yosuke or Sato-san today. I took out my mobile phone and switched again to hidden messaging, and turned on the in-built speech pitch modulator.

I looked around the cafeteria for the person I had been tailing for a few days now. He was a senior, and had been buying, or rather taking, free food from the cafeteria for a while now. My guess was that he did not have any Private Points on him. Hence, he would be the best target for negotiations.

Soon enough, the person who I was waiting for most walked into the cafeteria, with a nervous yet happy look on her face.

I slowly adjusted my position so I could have a clear view of them, and dialed her number.

This is going to be very fun, Kikyo Kushida.

A/N's:

Hello! Sure I'm changing up the plot a bit. But it's very minute, and will not have much of a major impact on the storyline as of now. Thanks for reading! Tell me what you think about the chapter.

I don't own any of the pictures that I use, all from either Pinterest or Google. Cheers!

Chapter 07 - Midterms

Kikyo Kushida slowly adjusted her earphones and acted as if she were listening to music. Good. Looks like she was following my instructions.

"I need you to do something for me. However, do not speak. You'll be caught otherwise. If you understand what I just said, raise your left hand to your neck."

Keeping your mouth closed while speaking, also known as ventriloquism. It's pretty simple once you get the hang of it, and it is insanely helpful. Especially for situations like these. Right now, I'm just another person who was sitting and having their lunch alone. Even if Kushida were to look at me when I was talking, she would not know it was me, since my mouth is not moving at all. A perfect and foolproof method to avoid suspicion.

The human mind always tries to a search for a the source of sound with vision. In the cafeteria right now, there were numerous students chatting away. She could not possibly pinpoint me as the speaker, as my mouth isn't moving.

Kushida, looking reluctant at first, raised her left hand to her neck, pretending to remove her hair. I approved at her signal, and decided to continue with the next course of action.

"Now I need you to move to your left, 2 tables down the row", I said, giving her simple and clear directions, "and stop. You will find a senior who is eating one of the free meals provided by the Cafeteria. I want you to approach him. Do not say anything as of now."

Kushida obliged, and walked down the row to the seat that I was referring to. She stopped in front of the senior, and waited for me to speak again.

"Strike up a friendly conversation. I want you to ask him about the practice papers and Midterm question papers he had attempted in his first year, and how much he is wiling to sell them for. Quote your maximum as 10,000. He will definitely try to increase the price, and probably stop at around 30,000. Bargain for a bit and try to negotiate it to 20,000. Maximum 25,000. I will transfer the points to you later."

Kushida seemed to understand what I was getting at, and walked up to the senior. The upperclassman looked at Kushida as she approached.

"Try to entice your offer by looking at his meal", I said, "say something like, 'that definitely doesn't look tasty'."

"Uhm, senpai? I was wondering if I could talk to you for a bit?"

"What business can a kouhai have with me?", the senior reported. I could hear him over Kushida's speaker.

"I just wanted to say that that meal doesn't look very delicious, does it?"

The upperclassman narrowed his eyes. "What is your point?"

"I was saying we could have a deal, senpai. I'm sure you'll have your Practice Question Papers and Midterm Question Paper from your 1st year with you. I can buy it from you for a certain amount of Private Points."

The upperclassman seemed to consider the offer. "How much are we talking about here?"

"About 10,000."

"Too low. I cannot go lower than 30,000 points."

I could see Kushida's expression change, for just a fraction of a second, to wonder and amazement, at how I had exactly predicted what price the senior would quote. Nevertheless, she continued to bargain with the senpai.

"30,000 points is a bit too much. 15,000 is the maximum points I can offer. Anything above seems to be a waste for me senpai. You need the points as well right? You cannot hope to possibly turn this into a one sided deal."

Kushida was smart. She was egging him on the right way. Just a bit more, and he would concede.

"25,000 points. Take it or leave it."

"20,000 points? Pleaseeee~ senpai?" With that, Kushida used her ace. She moved forward on the table and leaned a bit towards the upperclassman, flaunting her curves and used her puppy eyes, the same she had used when asking for my number. A deadly combination to bring out astronomical levels of obedient testosterone.

"Fine. 20,000 points", the senior finally agreed. The 2 shook hands, and Kushida gave her number to the upperclassman.

"I hope this deal remains between us. I cannot have rumors spread that I've been involved in such monetary exchanges with my underclassmen.", he added, as a final warning.

"Of course, senpai! Thank you so much!", Kushida chirped in. "As an icing on the cake, can I expect the answer key of both papers to be thrown into the mix as well?"

"That seems fair. I'll add in the answer keys as well. I'll send them to you by the evening."

With that, Kushida transferred 10,000 points to the upperclassman, and the remaining 10,000 points would be transferred once Kushida had received all documents. After bidding farewell to her senior, Kushida left.

"Great job. I want you to send me a copy of all the papers you receive from him to me", I said.

With that, I ended the call. Kushida looked around in the cafeteria, hoping to catch a glimpse of who had called her. However, that would be impossible, and she shrugged and ran over to join her group of friends.

I smiled at my eminent victory. Kushida would be an indispensable part of Class D later on. She might have the heart of a devil, but even devils can be tamed if properly handled. It was a surprise how well this worked out. I had just sent her the recording I had taken the other day. I had made sure not to edit out the parts where I was running down the stairs, or when Ayanokoji-kun asked his last question. These points were proof that Ayanokoji wasn't the person who had sent her the recording. I didn't want an innocent person tied up into this.

I finished my lunch and headed out for afternoon classes. But before that, I received messages from Kushida containing all the answer papers. Perfect. I would put this to good use.

I had figured out many things over the last 2 weeks about the Midterms.

After going through the papers that Kushida had sent me, I realized that every question in the Practice Test that our seniors had received were the exact same as that of the Surprise Test we had the other day. Even for Math. Every single number was the same.

This was a big discovery. I was 70% sure that the Midterm questions would be the same as that of the senior's Midterm questions. However, I couldn't leak this to the class just yet. If the dumbasses like Ike, Yamauchi and Sudo found out about this, then they would definitely stop studying and try to cram all these answers. I couldn't allow that, in case these same questions did not show up in the Midterm paper.

I would instead wait. I would make Kushida distribute this paper 2 days before the start of the Midterms. This way, at least the Idiot Trio would have finished studying most of the syllabus, and were at a lesser chance of failing if the same questions were not repeated.

There was another very important discovery I had made the other day as well.

It was the passing grade of the Surprise Test.

After I had taken the picture containing all the scores of students from our class from Horikita-san, I had been trying to find a relation between the passing score and the marks obtained by each student. In the beginning, my attempts proved futile, and I couldn't come up with any sort of algorithm that determined the passing score. However, a closer analysis led me to find out that the passing score was half of the average score of the class, rounded off to the nearest zero. It made perfect sense, when I thought about it. It would explain why Class B had a higher passing score than us, as they have more academically gifted students in their class, which would automatically increase the average, and hence passing score for them.

But now that I had figured this out, there was a very simple way to avoid expulsion.

All we had to do was reduce the average score.

If we reduced the our own personal scores by holding back during the Midterms, then it would definitely reduce the average score of the class by a fair amount. But it would not be a huge change as such. Even if I rope Yosuke and Chiaki to help me with this, it would not be enough to reduce the passing score by an amount that would prove beneficial for Sudo-kun and the like. One idea that popped into my head was for everyone to score a zero in all subjects, but that would mean that even one traitor in class could increase the average score, and everyone in the class would be expelled as a result. So, this was definitely not an option.

Another thing that bothered me was whether there existed some sort of personal evaluation in the school for judging individual merits. If, let's say, Yosuke purposely secured a 50% in Midterms, would it be reflected anywhere other than in the Class Points? Say, somewhere like 'Yosuke Hirata's Personal Records', or something? I'd think it would. That's how all schools work, except this one, of course. However, I could not entirely discount the possibility that individual recognition and score-tabbing was not done.

If it was, then getting a lower score would have a negative impact on the personal career of a student. I couldn't risk Yosuke getting involved in something like that just for reducing the average score by a meagre amount.

There was another method to ensure that Sudo and the others would not get expelled, but I still had to confirm it's validity. It was too risky to bank on as a potential option, but if push came to shove, I'd have to consider it.

My phone buzzed on my bed, indicating an unread message notification. The message was from a Chiaki, who had agreed to help me out in lowering the average score of the class. I immediately received another notification from Yosuke, saying that he would be willing to lower his personal score as well. I confirmed the plan.

Maybe I should go have a talk with Horikita-san as well? She'd be the one most informed about the Idiot Trio's progress, and it would make sense to talk to her and gauge how much the average needed to be lowered for this plan to actually work.

I was beginning to feel rather sleepy, so I switched off my phone and turned in for the night.

The Midterm was in 2 days, and it was time for Kushida to distribute the sample question papers that I had acquired from the senior. I had messaged her last night, asking her to act as if she were the one who had gathered the question papers from the senior. She had sent me a cheeky reply, saying that " I was the one who gathered the papers dipshit."

Hmm. A very polite way of speaking to a person who you didn't even know. She seemed to have figured out what she had typed could possibly be used against her as another piece of evidence of her two-face personality, and she quickly deleted the message before I had the chance to take a screenshot. Damn it.

I made my way to school without any further interruptions, and sat down in class. Chabashira-sensei walked in the same way as ever, and continued with her syllabus.

Classes were getting abnormally boring. I already knew everything that was being taught in class. I was taking notes only for the sake of Class Points, nothing else. Another reason was that I did not want to risk the chance of people flipping through my notebook and finding no notes. It would be detrimental to my holding back status.

I had to find something else to do during class, or I would die of boredom.

Class finally ended for the day, and everyone was already in a hurry to get back to the dorms or the library for study sessions. Speaking of which, my group was in a stable position, and I was sure everyone would be able to get a passing grade. Sato-san especially had shown a major improvement in Mathematics.

"Everyone, can you please stay back in class for a few minutes? This won't take long", Kushida finally spoke up.

Kouenji, however, payed no heed to the statement and proceeded to walk out of class, flipping his magnificent horsey hair on the way out.

"I've painstakingly gathered the Midterm Papers that our seniors were given last year. I've also got printouts for everyone in class, so that we can all score well on our Midterms!"

The entire class cheered for Kushida, and she distributed the sample papers to everyone in class. "Woah, Kushida-chan, you're an angel!", "What would we do without you!", "We'll all score well on our Midterms now!", were the major statements that I could distinguish coming from the crowd.

I noticed something off about Ayanokoji, though.

He's usually the one with an expressionless face. However, I could see that there was a slight bit of ... annoyance (?) on his face. I did not understand why that would be. I first attributed it to the fact that he knew of Kushida's secret as well, but he did not seem to be the type of person who would be swayed by other people's illegitimate popularity. I could not decipher the reason behind this expression, which had me a bit confused and become more suspicious and wary of this man.

I knew Ayanokoji was different. But I could not ask him directly about him, like I had done with Chiaki. He wasn't the type to give me a straight answer, and I did not believe he would give me one either. Was he using Kushida as well? That would seem highly improbable, but I could not eliminate that threat.

However, Kushida was acting according to MY plan. Everything was going smoothly as I had expected it to. Either I was overthinking every small detail, or Kushida had been ignoring Ayanokoji's to an extent. It would seem more likely that Kushida was the one controlling Ayanokoji. He did not have any evidence of Kushida's real personality, but Kushida still had his fingerprints on her uniform. Things did not seem to match up at the moment.

I'm sure it would soon enough. Time answers all questions. I was a firm believer in this quote. Patience is a severely underrated virtue.

After 'thanking' Kushida for the sample question papers, I headed out to the library to discuss and solve the paper along with my study group.

The day of the Midterms was finally here, and I was very confident in my study group. We had spent days going through all the tough topics, and we had solved the entire question paper the other day. I was sure everyone would pass. Even Sudo looked more confident than before. Looks like Horikita had done a good job in hammering some information into his thick skull.

I hadn't made any contact with Kushida since she had distributed the papers, and neither did I. There was no reason to, after all.

The papers were distributed by sensei when the clock struck 8:00. 5 subjects of 100 marks each, for a total of 500 marks. I thought about how much I should get per subject. I couldn't get too low, or it would be highly suspicious. I had got an 80 in the previous test, so it would make sense to get a bit lower than that. 65-70 seemed like a good bet. It would not lower the percentage much, but it was worth a try.

I flipped the paper and scanned through the questions. Most of the questions were from the sample paper itself. I could here heavy sighs of relief around the class, and we all started writing the exam.

"Man, that was soo simple! I think I might get like a 101!", Ike said after we had finished writing all the tests.

"Yeah, but it's all thanks to Kushida-chan! Almost all the questions were from that paper before!", Yamauchi butted in.

"Yeah, it's definitely all her!", Sotomura, or better known as Professor, shouted out.

While the guys were signing songs of praise for Kushida, I overheard a conversation between Horikita and Sudo, which I was not planning to.

"... English, was it?"

"It - it went well! For sure! You can count on me!", Sudo said rather hesitantly, trying to strike a pose in front of Horikita. Ayanokoji was also listening in to the conversation.

"Well, after everything we did, we can only hope for the best", Horikita said, "we did our best. The rest depends on the scores we get next week."

With that, Horikita left class, leaving Sudo behind, and Ayanokoji followed suit. Horikita and Ayanokoji's closeness had also been a prime cause of my suspicion, seeing that Horikita never interacted with anyone else in class, but that was a thought for later.

It seemed Sudo hadn't written his English exam well.

A/N's:

I've been getting insane support from you guys. We've reached 1K reads so fast! Thank you for supporting this fic! Please feel free to comment and vote on the chapter! Crazy love. Take care; until the next chapter.

Chapter 08 - Ken Sudo

The class was lively, and everyone decided to take a break from the hectic 2 weeks they had and take it easy for a few days. It was surprising that Ike, Yamauchi, Sotomura, Sudo and Miyamoto — all having a below average IQ— were confident of the answers they had written on their scripts. The sample question papers surely had done their job.

Speaking of which, I'm sure Kushida would be hell-bent on trying to crack the identity of her secret stalker. I'd have to lay low for a while. I also realized that she would most probably install some sort of ID identification software from the school's database. The fact that I had used it on her would give her a signal that if there is a way to hide your phone number, there is definitely a way to reveal it as well. I'd have to make sure not to make any illicit hidden contact with her again. A direct confrontation would be necessary in the near future. As long as I had her audio recording on me, she could not possibly do anything.

Kushida was a person who desired popularity. She was the polar opposite of Chiaki, who tries to lay low. She desires fame, friends, trust and secrets. This was a solid conclusion I had come to after analyzing her behavior. To listen to a stranger via earphones and do their bidding, without asking a single question, just to protect HER secret, was something that only a person who valued their social status highly would do. Even though there are several aspects of her attitude that I still do not understand, this was the summary I had gathered.

She was willing to any length to protect her secret. This would come back to bite her from behind, and this is something that I can use to manipulate the Class Angel. This little social experiment of gathering question papers was just to test how far she was willing to go. Now that I had a fair idea, I can start laying the groundwork for certain plans I had in mind.

"How did the papers go, Keisuke?"

I turned around to see Hirata looking at me with a confident smile. I had already prepared my answer for this question. It would look ugly if I bragged about doing well, but ended up with a 65.

"I'm not sure I did too well, there were a few questions I did not understand in the paper. I devoted quite a lot of time to the study group, so I didn't have time to do my own self-study", I said.

"How come? I thought you would be one of the top scorers this time around." Hirata had a worried look etched on his face.

"Don't worry about it", I said, patting him on the shoulder, "it's all good. I want everyone else to score well. We need to do what we can for the sake of the class."

Hirata, though a bit adamant, reluctantly agreed with me, and thanked me for all the help I had offered to the study group.

"Takeyama-kun! Thank you for helping us out! We were all able to do well because of you!", Inogashira-san, Sato-san, Onodera-san, and, behold, Matsushita-san.

"I'm glad I could help", I smiled and replied.

Before the conversation could drag out any further, I slung my bag over my shoulder and ejected myself from the conversation.

(Day After Midterms; Chabashira, Sae POV)

There was a soft knock on the door of the Teachers Staff Room. Chie stood up from her seat to answer the door. The door opened, revealing a student from my class, Keisuke Takeyama.

"Good afternoon, sensei. Is it possible to talk to you for a while? I have a few questions regarding class", Takeyama said with a respectful bow.

"Ara~ Sae-chan, I didn't know you had such cute boys in your class! Hey, hey, what's your name? I'm Chie Hoshinomiya, homeroom teacher of Class B! So, you must be really popular in your class uh? Are you dati-". There was a loud thwack as I launched my clipboard on Chie's butt.

"OWW! You didn't have to hit that hard, Sae-chan", Chie said, massaging her posterior.

"I did. I cannot have you talk to students of my class this way. You must uphold the dignity and respect we teachers at ANHS hold."

"Woah, ok, I get it! So, I'll leave you 2 to do your thing~~", and with that, Chie pushed me out of the door, and shut it behind her. Takeyama continued to look at the closed door, dumbfounded at the discovery of such a teacher in campus.

"Let her be, Takeyama", I started, "what questions did you have?"

Takeyama glanced at the door one last time, and a serious expression came over his face.

"Actually sensei, it has something to do with the Point System that our school endorses. I have certain doubts regarding that."

"I'm all ears. Please continue."

"On the first day of school, sensei, when you had first introduced us to the Point System. There was a certain statement that had me thinking a bit. You said, ' Anything within the school grounds is available for buying via Private Points'. Is that correct, sensei?"

I could see where this boy was headed. "Yes, indeed. I did say that. But what is your question, Takeyama?"

"Can I buy anythingin the school? For example, if I were on the verge of getting expelled, would I be able to revoke my expulsion, given that I have sufficient number of Private Points? Or say, if I failed my Midterm test, would I be able to purchase marks for my paper with Private Points?"

I have seen several students across all years of my teaching ask me several questions regarding the Point System. But only a handful of them have actually used their Points to buy something as abstract as marks, or a ticket to cancel expulsion. Takeyama had me surprised, but he was not the first one.

"I believe you can, Takeyama", I replied, "what I said that day was true, you can buy anything in the school grounds, given you have enough Private Points to do so. Why are you asking me such a question, though? Are you scared that you might have failed the Midterms?"

"You could say so, sensei", he replied nonchalantly, "however, I wish to not divulge any more information on that topic. Thank you for answering my question, sensei. It'll definitely be useful." With that, Takeyama took his leave and left the Staff Room.

I couldn't help but smirk at the leaving boy. He was the second person today, after Ayanokoji, to come meet me and ask the same the question.

The possibility of those 2 working together ignited something in me.

Maybe Class A wasn't just a pipe dream after all.

2 days passed by in a flash, and the much awaited results of the Midterm Papers were out. Everyone was already in class, even Sudo. The tense atmosphere of the class seemed to be getting heavier, and eased a little when our savior Kushida assured everyone that they had all done well in the exams.

Chabashira-sensei had walked in with a grim look on her face, and I could hear Ike gulping from over 7 benches away.

"I know you've all been waiting for this. So I won't waste anymore time."

With that, sensei pulled out the chart containing all the results and hung it up on the board for everyone in class to see. All our eyes were instantly glued to the screen. The expressions in class turned from tense, to worrisome and finally to relaxation.

"Let's GOOO! We all passed!", Sudo let out a loud howl, and the entire class started breathing heavy sighs of relief and chattered excitedly.

Me and Chiaki, on the other hand, had already calculated the Class Average.

Lowering our scores had not been enough.

Almost instantly, Chabashira-sensei took out a red marker, which caught the entire class by surprise, and proceeded to draw a neat red line on the result sheet. Right over Sudo's name.

"HUH! WHAT THE HELL! What does this mean, sensei! I passed the exam!", Sudo started howling frantically.

"Unfortunately, you did not Sudo. The passing score this time was 42 marks. You have scored 41 in your English paper. Unfortunately, Sudo, you have failed the exam. I'll meet you by at the Staff Room after this period to finalize your expulsion details. I need a legal guardian by your side, too."

"WAIT WHAT!? How can the passing score suddenly change!?", Sudo tried to reason with sensei.

"Yes sensei, how can we just increase the passing score from the last test? Isn't that unfair?", Hirata was the one who chimed in this time.

"I have made myself clear. The passing score changes every exam. The passing score, is in fact, half of the average score of of the entire class. It was the same during the last exam as well. The average score of the class this time was 42. Hence, you have failed, Sudo, and will be rightfully expelled from Advanced Nurturing High School", sensei said, without a trace of hesitation or remorse in her voice.

Sudo fell back into his chair, trying to contemplate the situation. Even Ike and Yamauchi, his closest friends, couldn't find the right words to console him. Horikita, on the other hand, was scribbling something on a sheet of paper, and then shot up her hand.

"Sensei, the average score last exam was 31.2, and the decimal was dropped off to make it 31. The average this time is 41.8, so shouldn't the average score be 41 after dropping the decimal?" I cringed a little at this failure of an effort to stop expulsion. It was obvious that the decimal hadn't been dropped off, the score was in fact rounded to the nearest zero.

Chabashira-sensei gave the same, crisp and clear explanation, and Horikita sat back down in her desk, having no more cards to play to save Sudo. I turned to look at Chiaki, and she gave me a look that seemed to say, ' looks like that didn't work'. I nodded, and looked back to the front.

Looks like we'd have to use Points, after all.

In the midst of the panic that had ensued in the class, I could here certain voices, which said, "It's good he's gone though", "Yeah, makes it easier later on", "Better to get rid of dead weight". I was appalled at our classmates' behavior, but more importantly, their lack of vision and perception to see Sudo's talents. He was a strong person and the best in our class in sports. If there were ever an event where sports would be the main focus, Sudo would undoubtedly be our most important asset.

With that in mind, I set off to tail Chabashira-sensei.

(School Rooftop; Chabashira, Sae POV)

The wind in my hair seemed to blow all my worries away for a split second. I took out my trusty cigarette from my pocket, and proceeded to light it.

It seems I'm expecting too much from this class of defects.

They could not figure out the passing score procedure in time. I had expected either Ayanokoji or Takeyama to figure it out, but they were rather introverted and kept to themselves, refusing to take part in class activities. They purposely chose to hide their talents.

The worst defect out of all.

I heard the door to the rooftop open, and a student from my class walked in. I did not turn around, for I knew who it was.

"Sensei, sell me one test point for Sudo's paper."

I couldn't stop myself from snickering. It had come down to this after all. Class D was indeed buying test points from their teacher now. How mature.

"You do know how much one would cost? It's fairly high priced."

"I do not care. If it is within my limits, I'll pay."

"100,000 points. I'll sell you one mark, and I'll save Sudo from impending expulsion."

"You're very cruel, sensei."

"Take it or leave it."

The boy stood silently, and eventually I heard the door burst open again, this time revealing Horikita Suzune.

"Ayanokoji-kun? What're you doing up here?", she asked sharply.

"I asked sensei to sell me one point for Sudo's paper. Willing to split the bill?"

After negotiating with Horikita, she and Ayanokoji shelled out 50,000 points each from their Private Points, and proceeded to buy one test point for Sudo. After completing the purchase, and gaining assurance that Sudo would no longer be expelled, they left the rooftop to go back to the classroom.

I turned back and started a second smoke. Takeyama had not come after his meeting with me at the Staff Room.

I wonder why.

I can't believe I couldn't find her.

Being right at the front bench of the class, I had missed where Chabashira-sensei had walked off to. I had already visited the Staff Room, only to be bombarded by Class B's homeroom teacher, Chie Hoshinomiya. After a long lecture on why 'two-timing' with 2 teachers is bad manners, I had lost all my willingness to search for sensei, and left to go back to class. She had wasted 15 minutes of my time, and there was no point searching for her anymore.

Ayanokoji and Horikita weren't in class, either.

I think I'll just leave this up to them. If there was one person in the school who could understand and comprehend how useful Sudo will be to the Class' future, it was Suzune Horikita. If she did not understand this, I am forced to say that our class has no future.

Ayanokoji, however, continues to remain a mysterious existence to me. I cannot pinpoint why, but I felt he was someone we would definitely need to reach Class A.

And I'm usually never wrong.

A/N's:

I don't really have anything to say, other than a Big Thank You for reading this chapter.

Also, can you guys recommend some good light novels I could read? I don't really know anything other than CoTE. All suggestions/genres are welcome!

Chapter 09 - Witness

Sudo's expulsion was revoked the next day. Chabashira-sensei had walked in and announced this vital piece of information. Yosuke and Chiaki both turned to look at me, asking me what in the world I had done to achieve that. I shook my head saying that I hadn't done anything. My statement was absolutely true; I hadn't done anything to revoke Sudo's expulsion. But I had a fair idea of what might have taken place.

Horikita was the one who had payed her Private Points to buy one mark for Sudo's test paper, hence cancelling his expulsion. I knew this was the only possible option.

However, this was something that fueled my suspicions even more. I was sure Ayanokoji and Horikita had left the class together yesterday. Since it is unwise and rude to contact a teacher after school hours, I inferred they must have visited Chabashira-sensei then. Which would mean Ayanokoji was also with Horikita at the time of the point transfer with sensei, though I couldn't be too sure of the last part. All these unanswered questions and variables favored Ayanokoji, and I wasn't able to form any hypothesis as to why Horikita was the one who was taking credit.

Another reason of my suspicion was how Horikita had gathered the points required to pay for Sudo's mark. The new month had just begun, and everyone had definitely spent a large number of points already. If marks were that cheap to buy, everyone would be paying and getting out of failing grades. Was there someone else who had shared the cost? Ayanokoji, perhaps?

Was I overthinking it? Maybe Ayanokoji is just a normal student after all. Maybe he tagged along with Horikita because she had no one to call a friend. Maybe he was just accompanying her, and had nothing to actually do with it? Unless I find more concrete evidence and justification that Ayanokoji is indeed involved in the class affairs from behind the scenes, I had to go along with him just being a side character. Innocent until proven guilty.

Sudo was looking at Horikita like his savior, which she indeed was. Looks like she had found herself her first admirer. Too bad it had to be someone from the Idiot Trio.

Slowly, I could see it. Horikita was slowly making her way to the top of the class hierarchy. She had initially come off as distant, cold and unforgiving, but as she continued to help the class, she was gaining the trust of her fellow classmates, one by one. Yosuke was happy to see her development as well, and stated that he would love to work along with her in pursuit of reaching Class A. I nodded along with Yosuke, and while I did, I caught Chabashira-sensei's gaze on me, and when our eyes met, she averted her eyes, and left homeroom.

I was contemplating whether to reveal my identity to Kikyo Kushida or not.

I was having a brainstorming session in my room ranging various topics, including Ayanokoji's actions, Horikita, and more importantly, Kushida. I had come to a conclusion that since Class A was the target, we must first overcome the hurdle of making it to Class C. I had heard that Class C was under a dictatorship rule, but their leader was unknown to me. It would be much easier to ascend to Class A if we focused on small targets first. Also, I had come to realize that class alliances would be of high strategic importance in the future. Sensei had never told us anything about how to gain Class Points as such. It was only known that Class Points would be awarded depending on our academic and physical performances.

Which would mean that Class D was at an overwhelming disadvantage, since our class consisted of most of the average to below average students.

I could not see a reason why this would be so. It almost felt like the school was designed to make Class D fail. If you're not given chances, you cannot possibly hope to reach Class A. This meant that there must be some other way to gain Class Points, something that was not based solely on academics and sports.

And that is why I believed strengthening our relations with Class B should be of utmost priority. We cannot directly confront Class A, as they see no benefit in supporting a lower-end class. Class C was out of the option. Class B seemed to be the wisest choice, since they would also benefit from toppling their nearest rivals, Class C. This would however, mean that we would have to eventually break our alliance in the future, when Class Positions change.

Which is where Kushida comes into play.

She has already established herself as the most popular girl in the grade, and she had friends from all the different classes. She would be of prime importance in forming Class Alliances. To do so, I must reveal myself to Kushida, or we cannot hope to form good bonds with Class B.

If I revealed myself, I would lose out on one of the greatest advantages I had over her, and it could lead to a lot less potential options in the future. I had to think this through properly before making a move.

I could wait for the situation to change as well. There was no reason to make a hasty decision; it could lead to complications later. I set the matter aside for now.

The next day was very interesting.

Chabashira-sensei walked into class, with an exasperated look on her face.

"Sudo, it seems you have run into trouble with some boys from Class C. They've filed a complaint against you, stating that you beat them up after calling them to the special building. Is that true?"

The entire class turned to look at Sudo with disgust, and Sudo vehemently denied all accusations.

"I didn't do it! Those Class C bastards called me to special building and picked up a fight! Self defense, I tell you, self defense!"

"But their accusations are different", sensei retorted, "they said that you called them to the building, and single handedly beat the 3 of them up. They even have injuries all over their face and torso to back up the claims."

"They're all foul mouthed liars! I didn't even beat them up that bad! They're lying!", Sudo was on the verge of losing his cool, but Horikita stepped up.

"Sudo, there's no point in denying them. Whether you really committed these atrocities or not, we must find a way to deal with it." A cold statement with no sugarcoating. This woman was the exact opposite of Kushida.

"But Horikita, those Class C bastards will the-"

"Try to understand, Sudo-kun. Denying these accusations will not get us anywhere. We must try to find evidence that you really weren't a part of this entire ordeal."

Sudo tried to say something back, but stopped before he could. He seemed to understand what Horikita was getting at, so he shut his mouth and sat back down on the chair, his hands on his head. Horikita had managed to get Sudo under her control, and that was no easy feat.

"Well, I'll leave the rest of it up to you, then", sensei said, "there'll be a hearing between the 2 classes a week from now. If Sudo is found guilty of his actions, then there could be a possibility that he will be expelled. Gather your evidence." With that, Chabashira-sensei ended homeroom and left the class.

"Why do you always have to make it so hard for us?", Yamauchi asked, his question directed at his friend.

"I told you already, I didn't do anything!", Sudo protested, "these guys are trying to frame me!"

Hirata stepped in to clear the confusion. "Now then, Yamauchi-kun, there's no point in blaming Sudo-kun for it, is there? As he said, Class C might be trying to frame him, and get him expelled from school. So we shouldn't jump to conclusions. We must try to help Sudo-kun. Horikita-san, can I ask you to please take charge of this case?" Horikita did not say anything, but she did not deny either.

"Fine, I'll help out. However, Sudo-kun, it is extremely inconvenient for the rest of us to keep backing you up like this. You must learn to stay calm and rational in these situations."

Sudo grumbled back a half-hearted answer, and class ended for the day.

I decided this was a good time to strike. Horikita was slowly being recognized by the class, and I had a few points I could add to the case.

"Horikita-san, mind if I help you out with this?", I approached her and asked. Horikita was initially surprised.

"Why do you want to help us out, Takeyama-kun? You usually turn a blind eye to class affairs."

She had irked the girls of her class.

"Hey, Horikita-san, that was rude!", "Yeah, don't speak to Takeyama-kun like that!", "He's trying his best to help, isn't he?". Hah. I have the power of harem on my side, Horikita.

"I'm not saying you're not welcome. But it just feels out of place for you to suddenly insert yourself into class affairs, that's all."

"I understand where you're coming from, Horikita-san. But I think I have a few points that I could add on to help our case." Horikita agreed, and I was added to the group, along with Ayanokoji and Sudo.

I turned to face the class. "First of all, is there anyone in the class who saw the scene unfold firsthand? A witness?"

No one in class had been in the special building that time, so none of them confirmed. I sighed, and turned to Horikita, "It's hard to start without a witness. For now, I think it's advisable to head over to the special building, and check out the crime scene. Maybe we can gather more information there."

Horikita agreed, and we decided to meet at the special building at 4:00 pm.

The second floor of the special building was hot. There was no ventilation, and most of the windows were closed, leading to a stuffy and suffocating building. It was a big change from the usual air conditioned hallways and classrooms the school building had, and was the reason the special building was usually avoided.

Horikita, Ayanokoji and I were currently on the second floor, looking for any clue that could help our case.

"See anything of interest?", Horikita asked.

Ayanokoji and I shook our heads, and continued to look for something that could serve as potential evidence.

"There are no cameras on this floor", I said, after a thorough examination. Horikita has also noticed this anomaly.

"Does that mean the Class C students purposely dragged Sudo here and provoke a fight? Because there were no cameras?", Ayanokoji asked.

"That seems unlikely. If their main intention was to portray themselves as victims, then why would they want to do it in a place where there were no cameras? Wouldn't it make sense to do it where cameras could record the entire incident?", Horikita said.

"I agree with Horikita-san. If they really are victims as they claim, then they should have carried out the operation in a place where there were cameras to record. It leads me to believe that Class C did in fact call out Sudo here, and provoked him.", I said.

"I think that is the case."

We looked around a little more to find anything that would pique our interest, but nothing caught our eye. We decided to call it a day, and proceeded to head out.

"Hmm? Ayanokoji-kun and Horikita-san?"

I turned around to see the beautiful, pale skinned girl, the leader of Class B, Ichinose Honami, call out to them.

"Ichinose-san? What're you doing here?", Ayanokoji asked. It looked like they were already acquainted. Horikita, on the other hand, was wary of this unforeseen presence, and immediately upped her guard. I could infer that Horikita did not trust Ichinose. I, on the other hand, did not have a chance to talk to Ichinose before. I had been in the library eavesdropping their conversation about the average score on the surprise test, but I hadn't actually made contact with anyone in Class B, except Hoshinomiya-sensei. Nothing to be proud of.

"Ahh, I just came here because I heard Class D was in a fix", Ichinose said, "it seems Class C has lodged a complaint against Sudo-kun, so I thought I could investigate a bit!"

"I do not see the reason why you need to investigate, Ichinose-san", Horikita started, "it makes me suspicious of Class B's actions". Damn you Horikita. You're already screwing our relations with Class B. Stop already.

"No, no! Nothing like that at all! I just wanted to see for myself. I know Sudo-kun wouldn't do something like that, so it seemed highly likely that this was a plan of Class C." It looks like Ichinose was well informed of the class affairs. She was a leader, after all. "And I don't think we've met before!", she said, looking at me, "I'm Ichinose Honami, from Class B. I'm glad to meet you."

"I'm Keisuke Takeyama. Pleasure."

"Takeyama-kun? Oh, you're the one Hoshinomiya-sensei keeps on talking about! ' That handsome young man from Class D, Takeyama!' It seems you're already well acquainted with sensei."

"You're such a womanizer, Takeyama-kun", Horikita said, looking at me, "I didn't know you were on such good terms with Class B's homeroom teacher."

"I don't know what you're talking about. I just happened to meet her in the Staff Room. Nothing else happened, rest assured."

"Ichinose-san, are you planning to help us out on our case to save Sudo-kun?", Horikita flawlessly changed the topic.

"Of course! All of you are my friends, and friends always help each other out!", Ichinose said, with an adorable smile. "I'll try to gather information from my friends in Class B, and I'll check if any of them had been a witness at the scene. I'll do everything I can to help!"

Such a sweet girl.

"Guess that works for us. Thank you, Ichinose-san", Ayanokoji spoke. I had forgotten he was still with us.

"Alright then! See you later, Ayanokoji-kun, Horikita-san, Takeyama-kun!". With that, Ichinose Honami turned the other way, flipped her fragrant strawberry-blonde hair and walked away with a smile on her face.

"I think we should leave as well", Horikita said, "it's getting dark. There's no point staying here any longer."

With that discussion, we left the special building.

A/N's:

I usually like detail.

Most of my chapters are a bit slow, and I like to add monologues of the person I'm writing in perspective from. Do you guys think I should change it? Up the pace? Or is it good the way it is? Thanks for reading this chapter!

Chapter 10 - Platinum

I've always had a habit of overanalyzing a situation, but that's only sometimes helped me.

I notice things that most others tend to miss out on. Your body does not follow what your mind always tells it to do, there are times when it involuntarily acts according to the situation. These involuntary acts are almost always genuine, and it gives a true insight into the personality of the person in question.

Humans are creatures of emotion. How much ever hard you try, you cannot get rid of them, because that is what separates us from the rest of living organisms in the world. You can suppress your emotions, but you can never fully get rid of them. These unused emotions stay within the body, dormant, waiting for every moment to break free.

Sakura Airi was hiding something from the rest of the class.

I wasn't going to go and harass a lone girl into submitting and acknowledging her secret. Everyone has secrets, and they all have different reasons for hiding them. However, I could not see a possible reason as to why Sakura would hide something important from the rest of the class, like probably being a witness at Sudo's crime scene. When I had asked the question of anyone being a witness yesterday, she averted her gaze, and was looking at her table, with her hands clasped on her thighs.

Humans cannot control their body at all times. There were involuntary actions that gave a clue into someone's thought process, and reason for their actions.

Averting your gaze. Clasping hands and putting them somewhere where others have a hard time seeing it. These were actions that indicated falsehood, or in simple words, lies. Sakura Airi was lying about not being a witness. She had witnessed the scene, and was too scared to come up and confess firsthand in front of the whole class. I'd already known that she was a shy and reserved girl. She never takes part in class discussions, and is rarely seen talking to anyone. She enters the class at the stroke of the bell, and leaves at the stroke of the bell. However, she was an important lead, and if she really was a witness, then it was of number one priority for her to confirm and help us with the case.

But I couldn't think of a way to approach her without alarming her. She seemed to be the type to turn and run away at the first sign of interaction.

Looks like I would have to turn to Kikyo Kushida for help.

(Class 1-D; Ayanokoji, Kiyotaka POV)

"So you think Airi Sakura is a witness? Why?", I heard Horikita speak.

"Because she averted her gaze when Takeyama-kun asked his question yesterday. She looked like she was hiding something. I think she might have a connection to Sudo's case."

While Horikita continued to bombard me with questions as to how I had figured this out, I turned front to look at Keisuke Takeyama. He was lost in thought, and was staring blankly at the blackboard. He did that very often; I've seen either Matsushita-san or Hirata-kun come up to him to shake him awake.

Keisuke Takeyama was an uncanny existence.

I couldn't quite gauge his capabilities, but I would say it was towards the higher side. His gaze lingered upon Airi Sakura for some time, before he turned to look the other way. He had also figured out that Airi Sakura was somehow connected to Sudo's case.

I think I'll let him do what he needs to do for now. He was smart, and I reckon he was much smarter and sharper than Horikita herself, and that was definitely a compliment. I didn't have to do anything about Sakura if Takeyama already had everything in place.

I would watch from the sidelines, and understand his true strength.

Takeyama got up from his chair, and walked to the other side of class. He was surely smart, I would've made the same move if I were in his place.

I approached Kikyo Kushida.

"Ahh~~ Takeyama-kun? Do you need something?", she turned around and asked, her short hair wafting a sweet fragrance in my direction. Focus, Keisuke, focus. Don't forget, she's a devil.

"Kushida-san, is it possible to ask you of a small favor?"

"Sure! I'll be glad to help anyone in my class!", she chirped and said, "so, what's bothering you, Takeyama-kun?"

"It's actually related to Sudo's case. I think Sakura Airi could have been a witness of the incident. Sakura-san is a shy girl, so it's unwise for me to ask her about it directly. Could you possibly ask her to confirm whether she was present at the crime scene or not? It would really help us get a lead on the case."

"I see! I can surely help out with that", she said. Kushida was truly a valuable ally to have in these situations, "should I talk to her now?"

"Anytime before school ends today should be fine. No need to rush things. Thank you for your help, Kushida-san."

""No problem at all! I'm glad to help!". With that, Kushida moved towards the end of the classroom, towards Sakura's desk. Seemed like she was willing to ask Sakura about it right now.

"Uhm, Sakura-san? Do you have a moment?"

Sakura Airi immediately jerked her head upwards towards the source of the voice. From her reaction, it was evident that she definitely never had anyone come up to her and start a conversation. She was unsure of what to do.

"Sorry to bother you, Sakura-san, but I think Takeyama-kun needs to speak with you about something important. It's related to Sudo-kun's case. I'm sure you'll help him out, won't you?", Kushida asked.

These words seemed to have the opposite effect on her. She was thoroughly petrified at the thought of talking to me, and hurriedly slung her bag over her head and proceeded to quickly head out of class, without uttering a single word.

"Sakura-san, please wait up! It's only for a moment, I promise!"

She started after Sakura, grabbing her hand to stop her from leaving. She turned around and tried to shake it off, and she did, but her bag fell to the floor in the process.

She immediately bent over to pick up the bag, and took out what seemed to be a digital camera. Hmm, a weird thing for such a quiet girl to have. She frantically tried to turn it on, but it wouldn't turn on. Looks like it had been damaged on impact.

"Ohh no! I'm so sorry, Sakura-san! I didn't mean to do that! Don't worry, I'll definitely have that fixed at the repair store for you. I'm sorry for the inconvenience", Kushida said, looking at the broken camera with a downcast gaze.

"It - It's ok, I'll get it fi -fixed", she managed to blurt out, before running out of class, clutching the camera close to her chest. Looks like she really loves that camera.

"I'm sorry, Takeyama-kun", Kushida said with a sad face, "I think Sakura-san won't be willing to share information regarding the case now."

"I don't think so". Kushida looked up, questioning my words, "I think she'll come back. No, she definitely will. So, Kushida-san, can I request you to accompany me when she does?"

Kushida was probably very confused right about now. Nevertheless, she agreed to help me out, in case Sakura initiated contact with us again.

(2 Days Later; Ayanokoji, Kiyotaka POV)

I don't know why it ended up this way.

I was standing next to Kushida, who was humming to herself, in the middle of the shopping district, after school hours.

Why am I even here?

Takeyama had asked me to accompany Kushida instead, because he said he had some 'work' that came up, and he would join me in later. I wondered what work he had.

We continued to wait for Sakura Airi to show up. She was late.

"Jeez, that plain bitch is sure taking her time.", Kushida said, tapping her foot impatiently on the floor. Her sudden personality changes continue to baffle me. It's still a mystery how she switches so fast.

"Say, isn't that her, right there?"

Kushida turned to look at the bench I was pointing at. She indeed was there, wearing a hat, glasses and a face mask. There's gotta be a limit to how much someone can hate social interaction. To go this far just to hide her face was abnormal.

She noticed us staring at her, and she got up from her seat, and approached us cautiously, like an animal sniffing your hand for food.

"Hello.", she said timidly, hiding her face even more behind the hat.

"Hello, Sakura-san! So, shall we?", Kushida chimed in. Sakura nodded, and we started towards the electronics store.

"Where's Takeyama-kun?", Sakura asked Kushida.

"Takeyama-kun? Oh, he said he's busy with some work of his. Ayanokoji-kun had come by instead! I'm sure you'll get along well!"

I looked at Sakura, and she gave me a shy nod. I returned it, and we walked in complete silence.

I walked on the road that led me to the special building, just to look one last time, before I could formulate a plan to clear Sudo's name of all charges.

But a thought occurred to me. If I did clear Sudo's name, would the class' attention turn towards me? It would be inevitable, I would be regarded as the person who saved Sudo from expulsion, and that would definitely increase my social status in class.

That was one thing I really did not want. My goal was to make enough friends just to pass high school with memories that I can cherish. Getting popular would only hamper my plans. In this school, getting well known would attract unwanted attention from the other classes. I wouldn't have minded if it had been some other high school. ANHS was different.

"Hmm? It's that special kid."

Standing in front of me was the Vice President of the Student Council, Miyabi Nagumo. I didn't expect to run into him of all people.

"Good evening, senpai."

"Yes, yes, good evening, this and that. I understand. What's a kouhai doing heading over to the special building? I was of the opinion you weren't part of any club", he asked me with a malicious grin on his face. He had already inferred I was going towards the special building. There was no reason to lie to such a perceptive individual. In case my lie is caught, it'll lead to unwanted questions.

"I'm helping my class with a certain problem that's been plaguing us. I needed to head over to the special building to gather some resources."

"Problem, you say? Ahh, you're in Class 1-D, if I'm not wrong? Then it must be with regards to that hothead in your class stirring up trouble with some Class C boys."

How he had this information was beyond me. Was it because he was a part of the Student Council? But it seemed unlikely that the Student Council would involve themselves in such trivial matters. I couldn't be sure.

"Yes, that is correct, senpai", I said, "now, if you'll excuse me."

I tried to walk around Nagumo, but he blocked my path. "Huh? You don't want to talk with me, kouhai? That's kinda rude. Certainly I'm not boring you?"

"Of course you're boring him", I heard an unexpected voice. I searched for the source. A beautiful, charming woman with platinum hair and a smug smile on her face was approaching us, "you're as boring as ever, Vice President."

"You'd be much more likeable in our year if you just corrected your attitude problem, Kiryuin", Nagumo said, standing out of my way. I hadn't met this senior before. She seemed to have attitude problems though, from what I could gather from Nagumo's reply. For some reason, I felt she and Kouenji would get along well.

"You used to be interesting, Nagumo, but you've already waned and lost your shine. Manabu, however, continues to intrigue me. I cannot say I'm delighted." Nagumo flinched when Kiryuin casually threw out Horikita-senpai's given name, but he quickly regained composure.

"I believe that isn't the right way to address our seniors, Kiryuin. Horikita-senpai is someone who deserves our respect."

"So even you've fallen prey to the President's logical and cold mindset? How lame. I thought someone from our year would uphold the constitution and not serve as Horikita-senpai's underlings."

"I have, Kiryuin. There's a reason I'm still in Class A, while you're rotting away in Class B", Nagumo said with a slight smile.

"Class rankings do not matter to me in the least", Kiryuin said, "I'm happy with the class I'm in. I can get into university I want with my exceptional abilities. I do not need to graduate from Class A for that."

I felt like I was listening to something I shouldn't be. I tried to slip away, but Kiryuin turned her attention to me.

"And I see you've also taken interest in a kouhai, Nagumo. I didn't know you had a soft spot for kids."

"He is an interesting kouhai, after all", Nagumo said, laughing as he put his hand around my shoulder. I wasn't sure whether to push it away or not. I decided not to at the end. I needed good relations with the Vice President. It would be helpful later on.

"I see. And if I may, in what ways is this handsome young man special?"

"His scores on the entrance examinations. He scored a 60 on all of them. Surely no coincidence, Kiryuin?"

The pretty girl eyed me like a kid who had found his long lost toy. "Oh my. Very interesting indeed. We do have certain exceptional ones this year, don't we, Vice President?" I couldn't tell whether she was joking or not.

I thought it would be best to introduce myself.

"Good evening senpai. I'm Keisuke Takeyama. Pleasure to meet you."

"Pleasure is mine, kouhai. I'm Fuka Kiryuin." She walked to me, and stopped right in front of me. A wave of sweet perfume hit me. "You'll be sure to interest me this year, won't you, Keisuke?"

Before I could answer, Nagumo continued, "I don't think he will, Kiryuin. The first years this batch are rather modest. They do not like to showcase their abilities. The same holds good with this young man here. He'll remain quiet, won't he?"

"I believe I'll try, Kiryuin-senpai, Nagumo-senpai.", I replied courteously. "I shall not disappoint you." Hearing my words, Kiryuin Fuka cracked a soft smile.

"You're a respectful one. You know how to talk to others. You're humble, and I like it. As a reward, I'll give you my number, kouhai. But you're not allowed to share it with anyone. Not many get the privilege to obtain my number, after all."

"Ooh, looks like Takeyama has already caught Kiryuin's attention. What will you do now? Will you lose interest in Horikita-senpai? Now that you have a new toy?"

"Who knows? It depends." With that, Kiryuin Fuka left, leaving me behind her number. The third girl's number on my contact list. Good going, Keisuke. A senior already.

"She's an eccentric one. I'd keep an eye open for her if I were you, kouhai."

"Thank you for the advice senpai. I think I should take my leave now. I've wasted far too much of your time."

"Oh no, not at all. I look forward to see how you navigate the obstacles in school, Takeyama."

I bowed my head, and walked off towards the special building.

"One more thing", Nagumo looked back lazily, and addressed me, "that problem your class had run into with Class C? The hearing will be presided over by the Student Council. Of course, that means I'll be there at the hearing. I might just give you a teensy bit more favor, Takeyama. I've come to take an interest in you as well, after all."

With that, he walked off into the sunset.

A/N's:

Fuka Kiryuin is finally in! I whole-heartedly believe in Kiryuin supremacy.

Also, I've got my exams starting this week. I'll be a bit irregular updating, but I'll try to publish at least a chapter every 2 days. To compensate for the lack of content, I'll increase the length of the chapters!

Wish me luck, cheers.

Chapter 11 - Hearing

The rest of the walk to the special building was, thankfully, uneventful.

My little chat with Nagumo and Kiryuin gave me a significant piece of information: The Student Council would be presiding over the hearing for Sudo's case. That would mean that the final decision would probably rest in the hands of President Horikita.

And from what I know, the relation between Horikita Suzune and Horikita Manabu is strained.

This was problematic. Horikita would have been an important part of the discussion that would take place at the hearing. If Manabu was present as well, she would almost certainly falter. I do not know the past between the 2, but I can safely assume that Manabu does not view his sister in favorable light, while Suzune is trying her hardest to get into her brother's good books — by reaching Class A.

Oh well. I don't see why I should be bothered. It's in my best interest to not get involved between the 2 siblings. I'll give them the privacy they deserve.

When I made it back to the special building, I was greeted by the beautiful, serene woman which the grade calls Honami Ichinose, along with Ryuji Kanzaki. If I remember correctly, Kanzaki held a high position in Class B, sort of like second-in-command to Ichinose.

"Ahh~~ Takeyama-kun! Hello!", Ichinose was the one to greet me, as she bounced at my arrival. Cute.

"Good evening, Ichinose-san", I replied, "are you here to help us with our case?"

"We are", Kanzaki replied in place of her, "I'm Ryuji Kanzaki. Pleased to finally meet you, Takeyama-kun. It seems you're on quite good terms with Hoshinomi-"

"Yes, yes, indeed", I quickly butted in, "may I ask what you 2 are doing here? Have you found anything of interest?"

I could see Ichinose's smile falter. "No, nothing that we already haven't found, Takeyama-kun. It's already established that there are no cameras here, but other than that, we haven't found a single clue as to how we can save Sudo-kun. I've even asked Class B for support, but no one seems to have seen anything out of the ordinary. I'm sorry for not being able to help much."

"Don't be", I reassured her, "in fact, I'm extremely grateful that we've received support from Class B. Thank you."

"No, no, not at all! I'm glad you think of us that way, though", Ichinose said, with a slight tint of red on her cheeks.

Kanzaki's cellphone suddenly started to ring, and he excused himself to attend the call. Ichinose soon excused herself as well, and proceeded to head back along with Ryuji Kanzaki.

(Shopping District; Ayanokoji, Kiyotaka POV)

The clerk at the department store was being kinda pushy, and I could see Sakura was a bit uncomfortable talking to him. He seemed overly enthusiastic. I don't think Kushida has noticed it yet. She, after all, gets attention like this all the time. But Sakura was a quiet girl who didn't stand out. She did not like this excess attention.

Sakura picked up the pen to write her contact and room number on the bill, but her hands suddenly stopped moving. She seemed to be thinking hard, or frozen in fear. She did not write for 5, 10, 15 seconds. Kushida had noticed by now, and she tried to ask Sakura what was wrong. But Sakura continued to stand there, motionless, looking at the paper with bulging eyes.

I sighed, and walked over to the counter and lightly grasped the pen from her hand. Sakura looked nervous, but gave me the pen. I wrote down my room number, and contact information.

"Hey, you're not the owner of the camera, are you? She is!", the clerk started complaining.

"Is it necessary for the owner to write down their details on this bill? It does not say so anywhere. I don't see what the problem is if I write down my room number and contact information. I want you to initiate contact on this number once the camera has been fixed."

The clerk was taken aback at my words, but did not say anything unnecessary. He reluctantly agreed to contact us once the camera was fixed, and we left the store.

Kushida excused herself to use the restroom, which left me and Sakura left waiting on the bench. The tension in the air was thick; you could probably cut it with a knife. Sakura was being fidgety, and had intertwined her fingers, and I could not possibly comprehend what she was planning to do with them.

There were several things about Sakura that I found out after our short outing. One was that she wore fake glasses. In normal power spectacles, there is a slight curvature of the lens for adjusting the focal length depending on how bad someone's eyesight is. However, her lens was straight, without any curvature. Her glasses were fake. Maybe she wore them to intentionally hide herself during conversations? That seemed to be the most probable outcome.

Another was Kushida staring hard at Sakura when we were on the way to the store. I had attributed it to the fact that she was watching out for her, but the incident on the rooftop flooded into my memory, and I immediately discounted that possibility. Did Kushida seem to recognize Sakura from somewhere? Her face bore the expression of recognition, but she could not recognize Sakura from anywhere. Neither could I, though. Were the fake glasses a disguise in that case? But who was she hiding her persona from? No one in the class had said anything about recognizing Sakura from before. Maybe it was the store clerk? He did seem to know her, after all.

My thoughts turned to the reason I was currently in this situation, Takeyama. He was most probably present during my confrontation with Kushida on the rooftop. I had noticed him looking in my direction when I was searching for Kushida that fateful night, to return her cellphone to her. I had sensed a presence behind the ajar door when Kushida had pinned me to the wall. I must say, he was extremely sneaky and shrewd. I wouldn't have noticed his presence if I hadn't seen him slowly follow me to the rooftop. Kushida almost had no chance of noticing him. It was almost as if he were trained to be stealthy and spy-like.

However, I was sure someone of the caliber of Takeyama would not just stand outside the door listening in to the conversation. Well, that was what I did as well, but our positions were drastically different. I could not have recorded the conversation even if I wanted to, and I was a bit careless to not turn on the recorder before I kicked open the door. He must have recorded the conversation, otherwise there would have been no point of him staying to listen in.

In other words, Takeyama has conclusive evidence of Kushida's double edged personality, and could use it any way he wants to manipulate her. Kushida was someone who valued social status, and the prospect of this recording leaking to the rest of the school would absolutely crush her position.

However, I knew Takeyama would not do that. There would be no point in taking unnecessary risks when there was a better way to handle the situation. Instead of openly defaming Kushida, Takeyama was using her.

I had already contacted Kushida at that point and asked for her help in gathering question papers from a senior student. I had asked her to let out the question paper exactly one day before the Midterms, since Sudo and the others were still lagging a bit in Horikita's study group. But Kushida distributed the papers 2 days before the test, clearly and brazenly against my intentions. She was being manipulated by Takeyama behind the scenes, being threatened by the recording that he possessed. Sudo might have passed without the need to spend points if Kushida had followed my schedule instead. I cannot blame Takeyama for that, though. He was not aware of the progress in Horikita's study group. Kushida also knew that out of me and Takeyama, she would listen to him, since he had the recording with him.

This was the information I had currently gathered on the student named Keisuke Takeyama. How much Takeyama knew about my involvement, however, was a mystery. He must have sensed that something was off. I hadn't done anything particular to stand out, so the chance that he suspects me to be behind the scenes as well would be low.

We'd have to eventually open up to each other. A possible collaboration with him would prove to be extremely beneficial to the class. But since he's stayed in the background for so long already, it seemed rather unlikely he would be coming out front-stage to lead Class D.

It looks like we share a lot more in common than I had anticipated.

I could see Kushida's figure returning to our bench, and I stood up to leave.

The day of the hearing had arrived, and Horikita, Ayanokoji, Sudo and I were getting ready to head over to the meeting.

I hadn't shared the fact that the meeting would in fact be held in the Student Council Room. It wouldn't serve any purpose; it might even make Horikita unwilling to participate.

Chabashira-sensei led the way. I hadn't been to the Student Council Room before, but I was already briefly acquainted with all its members. I hadn't been to the third floor of the main building before either. This floor contained all the Third Year classes from A to D. The Council Room was right at the end of the hallway, overlooking the school grounds. A very neat location.

"Sensei, where is the meeting going to be held?", Horikita finally asked. She seemed to be getting restless from staying in the third floor for so long. Was the chance of running into her brother so bothersome and frightening to her? I really didn't understand.

"The Student Council Room". Horikita was visibly taken aback, and she shrunk at the thought of having to speak of the case in front of her brother. How troublesome.

"Yaho~~ Takeyama-kun, Ayanokoji-kun, Horikita-san!", I heard the cheerful voice of Honami Ichinose come from behind us.

"Hello, Ichinose-san. Come to support us?", I jokingly asked.

"Of course! I'm here for moral support! I don't think I'll be allowed into the meeting room itself, since I'm from neither of the 2 classes involved, but I'll be standing outside and awaiting your return!", she added warmly, and proceeded to lean back against the wall, adjusting herself to the scenario, humming a song to herself.

Chabashira-sensei goaded us to enter the Room. Ayanokoji swung open the door, and made his way in first. Horikita followed, and I entered next. Sudo was the last one in, and Chabashira-sensei closed the door behind us.

The Council Room, at first glance, looked well-furnished. There were changes made to the settings of the room to incorporate 2 opposing sides meeting. There were 3 long tables arranged in a rectangular fashion, with the Student Council President, Manabu Horikita, on the center table. Behind him was Secretary Tachibana, and to his right was Vice President Miyabi Nagumo. Nagumo gave me a sweet smile as I walked in, and I bowed in return.

The 3 students from Class C who had filed the complaint, Daichi Ishizaki, Kyogo Komiya and Reo Kondo were already seated on the table that had been assigned to them. Behind them was Class C's homeroom teacher, Kazuma Sakagami.

I felt Horikita Suzune tense up in front of me at the sight of her elder brother. Ayanokoji had already taken his seat, and I could see a certain reaction when his eyes met those of the elder Horikita's. Manabu had acknowledged Ayanokoji during his fight with him, and there was an air of tension slowly filling up the room. I took my seat to Ayanokoji's right, while Horikita to his left. Sudo sat to my right, and Chabashira-sensei stood behind us.

When everyone had settled in, Akane Tachibana cleared her throat, and began to explain the procedure.

"This meeting was called to deliver judgement to the victims of Class C, Daichi Ishizaki, Kyogo Komiya and Reo Kondo, who have accused Ken Sudo, Class D, to have beaten them in a one sided brawl one week prior to this meeting. The victim states that they were called to the special building by Ken Sudo after club activities, and were injured during a fight that broke out. Does anyone have any objections?"

I was surprised at how fast Sudo could lose his cool. "I wasn't the one who asked them to show up! They were the ones who called me to the special building!"

"No, it was Sudo!", Komiya butted in, "he called us to the second floor of the building after club activities that day and completely thrashed us. He's always been like that, and thinks just because he's better than us at basketball and he's a regular, he can harass us and do whatever he wants!"

"They're all lying! I had nothing to do with this!"

The tension in the room further escalated, and both sides seemed to have their own perspective of the way things went. The elder Horikita silently listened to both sides of the argument, while Nagumo seemed to be enjoying himself, and had crossed his legs over one another.

After the banter had quietened down, Tachibana started once again. "Both sides give conflicting views of how the incident panned out. This meeting is to decide which version of events is true. Class C states that the perpetrator, Ken Sudo, called them over to the special building and beat them in a one-sided fight. Class D, do you have any objections to this statement?"

Sudo opened his mouth to speak again, but I raised my right hand to stop him from doing so. I looked towards Horikita, and she was still cowering in her seat, unable to make eye contact with her brother. Looks like I'll have to go ahead with my points, then.

I cleared my throat to garner the attention of everyone in the room. A simple, yet effective strategy to focus all attention on yourself, even though I disliked the resulting eyes that would follow my every movement.

I stood up from my chair. "Secretary Tachibana, I have a few questions to ask Class C. May I?". Tachibana nodded, and I looked towards Class C.

"Firstly, I want to ask rather trivial questions. When did Sudo-kun call you to the special building?"

"It was last Thursday, after Club Activities. He called us out and said that he had something to talk to us about", Komiya said.

"I see. So this incident did happen after the Club Activities, did it not? In that case, why was Ishizaki-kun present at the crime scene? I was of the opinion that he wasn't involved in the basketball club."

"We-well, Sudo is known for his violent behavior, right? So, we brought Ishizaki along with us for insurance", Kondo fashioned a rather half-assed reply. Horikita-senpai seemed to have found this piece of information interesting, and he leaned forward on his chair to listen in closely.

"According to my sources, Ishizaki was quite the delinquent back in middle school. He was skilled and was experienced in fighting. Yet, having such a fighter on your side, you 3 managed to get beaten this easily by just one person. That doesn't fit in, does it?"

"It's not like that! We just didn't want to fight! We were against it from the very beginning!", Ishizaki cut in.

"Your reluctance to fight cannot be so severe that you purposely took hits from Sudo to leave you in such bad state", I continued with my verbal onslaught, drawing attention to Class C's battered and bruised faces, "it makes me think that this entire incident was a setup, a plan initiated by Class C to harm, and possibly expel, Ken Sudo."

"I wonder why you came to that conclusion, Takeyama", Sakagami-sensei spoke up, "their injuries are far from light. I would suggest looking into another point to enunciate your position. Self injuries are something that students of my class will not think of doing."

"I'm sorry, but why are speaking for your students, sensei? I do not think I asked you anything. I'd prefer that you remain silent. Sensei."

You could almost hear a pin drop in the silence that had engulfed the room. Sakagami-sensei looked too taken aback at my words, and Horikita was staring at me incredulously for mercilessly shooting down a teacher's points. I could see Nagumo thoroughly enjoying the situation behind his VP desk. Chabashira-sensei seemed pleased with my actions, and was snickering to herself at the back.

"Takeyama-kun, I think it is our duty as students to uphold and respect our teachers. Don't you think that was taken too far?", Tachibana asked me exasperatedly.

"I don't think so, Tachibana-senpai. The only inference I can gather from Sakagami-sensei's actions of defending his own students is that his students do not have the answers to my questions. I'd like to look at it in a manner that clearly states that Sakagami-sensei is covering for his students."

"Preposterous! Are all students in your Class D this rude, Chabashira?", Sakagami directed this question at Chabashira-sensei. Chabashira-sensei, however, just smiled at Sakagami-sensei, before speaking.

"Not at all. In fact, Takeyama-kun right here is one of the most respectable and well-mannered student at ANHS", I winced slightly at this unexpected compliment, "Sakagami-sensei, you must have said something extremely irrational to have irked this student of mine. I don't see any problem with his behavior, and it is justified."

Sakagami-sensei was completely shut down after this ordeal, and Tachibana motioned to me to continue speaking. I decided that I had done enough, and it was Horikita's turn to speak. She cannot hide forever in the shadows just because her precious Nii-Nii is watching.

I looked towards Horikita, expecting her to speak, but she caught my gaze and turned her eyes, away, refusing to get up and continue with the proceedings. Manabu looked like he was getting impatient, and Nagumo was still smiling devilishly to himself.

What happened after that was perhaps the funniest thing I had ever witnessed Ayanokoji do.

He pinched Horikita. Hard on the side of her stomach. Horikita yelped, trying to control her pain and laughter. Ayanokoji, however, did not give up, and relentlessly tortured her. Horikita was now almost on the verge of tears, holding back her muffled sobs and laughs. The entire Room was looking at the 2 with wide eyes, unable to comprehend why such a thing was taking place.

Ayanokoji stopped pestering Horikita, and she bent over down on the table, seemingly trying to regain her composure. All eyes in the room were currently on her. This was Ayanokoji's main intention from the beginning.

This made me all the more suspicious of Ayanokoji's actions. Why was he trying so hard to get Suzune Horikita acknowledged? I was 99% sure that Horikita was just the scapegoat; Ayanokoji is the real person behind the scenes. However, nothing interesting has happened as of yet, other than the fact that Sudo's Midterm expulsion was revoked. I had already attributed that as Ayanokoji's doing, and Horikita and he had just split the Private Points required to buy a point for Sudo's paper.

There was no point in exposing Ayanokoji, however. No one in class would believe me. Even if I gave them a detailed explanation as to why I thought Ayanokoji was the real thinker of Class 1-D, I doubt that most of them would be able to understand, and the explanation would just zoom over their heads. Yosuke and Chiaki might understand, but it was too much of a hassle to actually explain everything in detail. It might get hard to explain as well, since I cannot touch Kushida's alternate personality; I'm not even supposed to know about that.

My thought process was interrupted by Horikita finally beginning to speak.

"I'd like to add on to Takeyama-kun's point earlier. Ishizaki was known to be a good fighter back in his middle school days, and there is undisputable evidence supporting that fact. Yet, they were handily beaten by Sudo-kun. I feel that this is impossible to digest. Why did you not think of defending, Class C? Surely that wouldn't have been taken as an attack, and it would work in your favor as well."

"It's just like we said, we didn't want to fight Sudo! We were only there because he called us! None of us had any intention of scuffling!", Kondo protested.

Horikita now turned to the Council Table, directly facing her brother and VP Nagumo. "I've done my research well. During fights, if the numbers on either side are lopsided, it makes it exponentially harder to win the fight, no matter how strong your opponent is. A 3 vs 1 fight hardly makes it fair for Sudo, which leads me to the conclusion that Class C is staging their injuries."

Before Komiya could open his mouth to retort, the elder Horikita silenced him with a fierce rap on the desk.

"Also, Class D has someone who can testify the incident. We have a witness."

You could almost see Class C's mouths fall down to the floor. Looks like Sakura Airi had indeed testified and confirmed that she would be willing to be a witness.

The door the the Council Room opened, and a very timid Sakura Airi walked into the Room , her head hung low, and she proceeded to sit down on the chair provided in the center of the formation. You could clearly see the apprehension and fear starting to glint in the eyes of the Class C students. Looks like they weren't expecting an actual witness to show up.

"The witness is Sakura Airi, Class 1-D. Is that correct?", Tachibana asked.

"Ye-ye-yes." Her voice was low, almost a whisper, and she instinctively clasped her hands together and tried to melt away into her chair. Sakura had probably never been forced to talk in front of so many people, and she was terrified at the prospect of having to speak more than she already had.

"The witness is someone from Class D? That is rather conspicuous, don't you think, Horikita-senpai?", Nagumo had finally spoken, but it looks like he'd be taking Class C's side on this matter. Not that it mattered. It was fairly obvious he would try and test me; check whether I would be able to talk my way out of the situation. The President remained silent, indicating his intention of being neutral throughout the entire procedure. This man had earned my respect.

"I don't see that as particularly surprising, Nagumo-senpai", I started, "in all due respect, the probability that the witness is from Class D is not any lower than it should be for the rest of the classes. The fact that Sakura-san is from Class D does not hold any value once conclusive proof that she was present at the crime scene at the time of the incident is shown, am I correct?"

"Hmm, an interesting theory you've got there, kouhai", Nagumo replied casually, leaning back into his chair, "it would certainly make no difference which class the witness belongs to if they have proof. Do you have proof that you were present at the scene during the altercation, Sakura Airi?"

Sakura shifted nervously in her chair. Dozens of eyes were now watching her every move, and hearing her every word. She remained silent, not responding to Nagumo's question.

"Well?" Nagumo seemed to be enjoying teasing Sakura. "Do you have any conclusive evidence?"

It would be best if I did not speak for now. Speaking for the witness, especially considering the fact that she belonged to Class D, would end up having the opposite effect on the panel. Sakura must speak up by herself now, or we couldn't possibly hope to proceed with the case. No, we had already lost out on our advantage once Nagumo repeated his question. Repetition is viewed in same light as hesitance, and it could have a slight impact on our chances of winning the case.

"Looks like the witness is unable to provide any suitable justification, Horikita-senpai~", Nagumo said cheerfully. "Can we assume that this witness is a false alibi prepared by Class D to help them in their case? How tragic. It seems that Class D has resorted to rather lowly methods to obtain results."

Nagumo mercilessly started attacking Class D. I could see Horikita visibly frustrated, Sudo would have already exploded had I not stopped him, and Ayanokoji also had a rather annoyed face. Well, not exactly annoyed, but his eyebrows were a bit scrunched. You couldn't really tell the difference.

"I was there! I saw it!"

One sentence was enough to silence the ranting Nagumo. All eyes turned towards the pink haired girl who had spoken up properly for the first time in the room.

"I was there, I saw everything! Class C provoked Sudo-kun to attack them! And Sudo did not hurt them this badly!"

"But their injuries say otherwise, Sakura", Horikita Manabu had finally spoken, "can you explain that?"

"I - I don't know about that. But I'm sure that Sudo-kun did not hurt them!"

"We still do not know if she is telling the truth. Do you have evidence that you were present during the scuffle?"

She slowly nodded, and groped around in her bag, searching for something. She took out her camera, the one that had been repaired alongside Ayanokoji and Kushida.

"The - there are photos. Proof that I - I was th-there."

Tachibana turned off the light in the room, and switched on the projector for everyone to see the photos.

What we saw was surprising. The camera had several photos of Sakura, without her eyeglasses, in various poses. It appeared she had been taking pictures for a very long time now. Several pictures looked private as well, with Sakura in rather skimpy clothing. She shied away into her chair, unable to lift her head in embarrassment. We soon reached the pictures that were taken on the day of the incident. She indeed was a witness to the event, and she had some snaps from the fight itself, with the 3 Class C boys arguing about something with Sudo.

"What is the credibility of these photos?", Nagumo started once again, "it is written that they were taken on the day of the fight, but these are photos, not videos. Photos cannot possibly tell us anything about who started the fight, or how Sudo and Class C handled the situation."

"Quit messing around", Sudo had finally blown a fuse, "I didn't do anything! Everything that Class C has said until now are all lies! They're all trying to frame me! Don't you get it!?"

This accusation had sparked some sort of resentment in the Class C boys, and they argued back with the same logic, stating they were innocent. This exchange continued for a while, and almost instantly ceased when the President rapped his hand on the desk. Such authority was truly admirable.

"Both sides have said everything they can regarding this case. I shall extend the deadline to tomorrow. Any other witness or proof shall be given then, and the final decision shall be taken, keeping in mind all discussion that had taken place today. The session is adjourned for today."

The sudden ending to the meeting had brought about temporary relief to Class D. Nagumo was making it much worse, and he was bent on putting as much pressure on me as he could. It was irritating, but knowing that we would win the case anyways tomorrow, I chuckled internally and headed out of the Council Room.

"Takeyama-kun! Ayanokoji-kun! Horikita-san! How did it go?", Ichinose pranced to us in her usual friendly manner, dissipating all tension that had been weighing in on us since we left the room.

"The Council hasn't come to a decision yet. It's been adjourned until tomorrow.", Ayanokoji replied rather matter-of-factly.

"Aww, that's too bad. I had really hoped everything would go well , but it looks like it was delayed, eh? Hopefully everything will be settled tomorrow then!", Ichinose replied with a smile.

We nodded, and Ichinose left to return to her classroom. As I was about to leave, I was stopped by Vice President Miyabi Nagumo. In the corner of my peripheral vision, I saw Manabu Horikita also stopping to talk to Ayanokoji.

"Ahh~~ kouhai, you've rather disappointed me today.", he stated with a mocking voice, "surely you could have done better than that?"

"I did the best I could do, senpai", I replied, "it seems I'm no match for you when it comes to debates, Vice President."

"No, no, don't go downgrading yourself like that, you won't survive in this school if you do so. I was, in fact, impressed at the points you had come up with. Very crisp. The discussion was dangerously tilting on either side. I cannot possibly wait to hear of the outcome tomorrow."

Nagumo lifted his right arm, and put it around my neck again, almost as if we were close friends who had known each other for years. I could see Ayanokoji staring at us, but he did not ask anything. He was in a similar situation as well, and Manabu had raised his left arm against the wall, pinning Ayanokoji to answer an inaudible question.

"What plan do you have to secure victory in this tense situation, kouhai?"

I looked up at Nagumo. He was staring at me with inquisitive eyes, eyes that questioned every move. He looked like he wanted an answer.

"I do not know what you mean by that, senpai, but I will try my best to not disappoint you tomorrow."

Nagumo frowned at my reply.

"It's just as Kiryuin says. You're too well-mannered. There's no point in asking anymore questions regarding this topic, I assume. It's been nice talking to you, kouhai. I sincerely hope you do well tomorrow."

With that, Nagumo turned around and walked away towards the Third Year Classrooms.

Ayanokoji was also done with Manabu's interrogation session, and he joined me to walk back to the classroom, neither of us commenting on the unexpected attention we were getting from our seniors.

A/N's:

A longer chapter to compensate for the slower update! Do you guys prefer longer chapters with more gap in between publishing, or shorter chapters with regular updates? I honestly think the longer chapters will be better, it increases the plot progress considerably, and it's easier to write them as well.

The next chapter might be a bit late, but no worries! It'll definitely be out within 2-3 days.

And guys. No way.

How did this even happen?? You guys are insane. We're literally #2 on classroomoftheelite. This is absolutely crazy. Thank you for your support!

Cheers.

Chapter 12 - Trap

The special building was insanely hot, and I had to tug on my shirt quite frequently to stop the sweat from gathering and dripping down onto my clothes. She sure was taking her time to arrive, huh. Not like I expected her to actually show up before time, though.

I took this moment to calm myself, steady my irregular breathing and go through the entire plan once more in my head. But my thoughts were rudely interrupted by a long silver haired woman who had just arrived.

"My, my, to think kouhai would ask for help from a senior this early", Kiryuin said, walking towards me in her all-regal strut, "does he have a plan to save his classmate from this predicament?"

"Good evening, Kiryuin-senpai." I wasn't really planning on having her help me out with this little agenda of mine. I was planning to bank on Ichinose, but I realized that I did not have her contact information. I didn't want to look like a freak going around asking for a girl's contact information, after all. I knew I could have directly asked Ichinose herself, but I hadn't met her since the last time at the Council Room, so I couldn't ask for her number. I had to eventually turn to Kiryuin for help.

"Good evening, kouhai. Quite the spot you've chosen for a secret meeting between members of the opposite sex, haven't you? It's like a microwave in here."

"I'm sorry for calling you out this late on my whims, senpai, but I wouldn't have called you if I did not think it as urgent."

"So it is an urgent matter, eh?", Kiryuin asked me in a condescending tone, "better make it fast, Keisuke. Time waits for no one." I confidently ignored the fact that she had used my first name, since pointing it out wouldn't make it any less likely that she'll revert back to using my last name.

"I presume you know about the ongoing case between Classes 1-C and 1-D, senpai?"

"I do, in fact. I had my little Vice President tell me about it just the other day. What about it?"

"Well, it is painfully clear that Class C has staged this fight, and it using it as leverage to harm certain classmates of ours. So I've come up with a small plan, senpai, to make sure that Class C withdraws their complaint. I would be extremely grateful if you could help me out with it."

Kiryuin raised her eyebrows. "Why me? Why not someone from your class, kouhai?"

"Because it would be much less believable if both students are from Class 1-D. I wanted to make sure that I had someone from another class to reinforce my point."

"It's rather interesting you reached out to me, when you had 3 other classes, barring Class C, at your disposal from the same year."

"I'm not acquainted with most of the students in my grade, senpai. I'm sorry for inconveniencing you."

"Not at all. In fact, you and I are quite similar. I see why you would reach out to me instead. Now then, tell me about this magnificent plan of yours."

Kiryuin and I had been waiting at the annex of the special building for the Class C fools to show up. Everything was already in place, and I trusted Kiryuin-senpai with this.

Soon enough, Ishizaki, Komiya and Kondo arrived, hands in their pockets, excitedly talking about something I could not comprehend. Or maybe I could. They turned to face us, and were surprised at the unexpected turn of events.

"Wait, you're the one from the Council Meeting the other day!", Ishizaki shouted, "Kiryuin-san called us all here. What the hell are you doing here?"

"Did she invite you as well? Aww, man, and I thought we Class C guys could finally have senpai all to ourselves!", Komiya lamented.

"Good evening, Class C. I presume you already know me. Kiryuin wasn't the one to call all of you here, I was. I had asked her to message the 3 of you to come."

"What the hell? Who do you think you are, you Class D lowlife? Know your place on the ladder already!", Kondo spat out.

"Being rather arrogant today, are we? I've called you all here for something important, after all. It would be wise to sit tight and listen."

"Listen, we've got nothing to do with Sudo's case. He screwed up, and we're not giving up until we can get him either suspended or expelled. That's that", Ishizaki said.

"It seems you're all being rather impertinent, Class 1-C", and with that, Kiryuin stepped out of her spot behind the wall, and presented herself to the trio.

" Kiryuin-senpai!?What are you doing here?", Kondo asked, flabbergasted.

"Nothing at all, in fact. Just here to help a kouhai in need", she said, pointing towards me, "it seems you've got yourself into quite the trouble, haven't you?"

"Th-This has nothing to do with the seniors, senpai", Komiya butted in, "why are you helping this Class D freak...?"

"Of course it had nothing to do with me, but does it feel good, involving so many people in your lies? Hmm?"

"I don't get it. We are the victims here. We are. Sudo called us here and beat us up. That's the truth."

"You lied, Class 1-C.", Kiryuin-senpai said, with a sadistic smile, "you lied. Everyone knows that. You were the ones that got violent at the end. So give up your act. Withdraw the complaint."

"Withdraw? Huh? Don't make me laugh! Why would we withdraw our complaint? Sudo started the fight, right?" He encouragingly looked towards his 2 allies.

"Yeah!", "Yeah, that's right!"

"Do you know that this school is one of the leading government-funded institutions in Japan?", Kiryuin asked.

"Of course we do. It's the reason we enrolled here."

"Didn't you think the school's response to this incidence was strange?"

It looked like Ishizaki and his lackeys were clueless. "Huh?"

"When you reported the incident to the school, why wasn't Sudo immediately punished and expelled? Why did the school grant a grace period of 7 days, and have the need to hold a trial in the first place?"

"Because Sudo cried and begged on his feet. That's all. What are you implying, Kiryuin-chan?", Kondo had dropped her honorific to chan now, "ahh, goddamn it, it's so hot here!"

"I'm seriously gonna boil alive if I stay here any longer. I'm leaving."

"The school knows." Ishizaki and the others stopped in their tracks, and turned around to look to Kiryuin, their faces aghast, "the school knows that you're lying. They're just testing us to see whether we're able to solve this problem ourselves, and not resort to the school to sort things out. Did you not know that there are cameras on every floor of the school?"

Ishizaki seemed to regain his composure. "Of course I do! But there are no cameras on this floor!"

"No cameras? How funny. Look around."

Ishizaki and the others turned their heads, and you could see the living soul leave their mouths when they saw the camera above me, nonchalantly turning around every 5 seconds, recording every move that was occurring on this floor.

"Wa-wait what? There wasn't a camera here! You guys just installed the camera!", Kondo said, looking fidgety and sweaty.

"You're right that cameras aren't installed on most of the hallways . However, there are exceptions, and there are several places where security cameras have been installed, like in front of the faculty room and the science lab. Obviously, there are several valuables stored in the faculty room, right? Additionally, the science lab has several chemical products. Since the lab is on this level, it is only natural that a camera would be installed here, wouldn't it?"

The trio faltered, trying to grasp the situation. Kiryuin had noticed, and decided to finish her entire speech before giving them a chance to speak.

"There's a security camera at the end of the hallway too", Kiryuin said, pointing at the second camera at the other end, "so if we'd installed a camera like you said, would we have done it on the other side as well? Besides, how exactly would we have prepared these cameras in the first place when we aren't even allowed to leave the campus?"

"Th-that's impossible, I mean... we checked,...we should have..."

"Did you really check? Maybe you just checked the third and and first floor, then? You forgot to check this one?"

"Besides, you already realize you've destroyed yourself, right? If you were the victim, then having a camera would be beneficial for you. Normal people wouldn't think to see if their were cameras right? You basically just admitted your guilt."

Ishizaki and his lackeys were now racking their brains, seemingly done for.

"Hey, Ishizaki, let's just go and withdraw the complaint..."

"Yeah, I cannot be expelled for this, man!"

"But how do I do it without informing him??He'll definitely screw us all...!"

"Keep your cellphone inside", Kiryuin ordered.

"Ahh...let me just...let me just make a quick call...", Ishizaki was blabbering nonsense. Kiryuin sternly denied them from making the call.

"Ishizaki, please! I cannot be expelled for such a shitty reason!"

"Just withdraw it already!"

"Damn! Alright, alright! I'll withdraw...I'll withdraw the complaint. I'll go to the Council Room right now."

With that, the trio, sandwiched between me and Kiryuin, made our way to the Council Room, if we took our eyes of them once, then they would be sure to call someone for advice. As we reached the Council Room, we shoved the 3 of them inside, and closed the door.

"That was intense, kouhai", Kiryuin said as she haughtily laughed, "you sure come up with genius plans, don't you?"

"I did not do anything, senpai. You were the one who did all the talking. Besides, this plan was a collective effort of all Class D heads. I'm thankful it worked out well."

"Yeah, right. Class 1-D doesn't have much vigor without you, Keisuke. I'll give you that", she said, sounding a fake applause, "putting you in Class D was a serious mistake on the school's part."

"I'm not sure about that, senpai. Everyone had faults in them. Not all of us can see them, and correct ourselves. I haven't been able to correct myself. I'm not worthy of your praise."

"Humble now, are we?", with that, Kiryuin laughed once again, and set out in the opposite direction towards the Third Year Dorms. What an intriguing senpai.

I turned my attention to the matter at hand. How should I pass this off? I had already removed both cameras from the second floor hallway, so there was no evidence of it remaining. If Ayanokoji and Horikita asked me why Class C had withdrawn their complaint, I can just say I talked them into it. But would that work? I was almost certain it would not work on Ayanokoji. He might show on the outside that he had believed me, but it would be far from true. My instincts tell me that he already suspects me of being above average. There was no way I could cover myself from them for too long.

Should I open up and start trusting them? Maybe I should. Having allies does not hamper me in any way. Horikita is someone is dead set on getting to Class A. She has a strong will, and her fighting strength is what will help her reach the pinnacle. I do not understand Ayanokoji's goal, though. Is it the same as mine? To live a fulfilling high school life? Or does he have a different motive in mind?

I ultimately decided to tell them about it anyways. I've not done anything extraordinary, after all. I can always say that Kiryuin was there to help me out. That wasn't a lie, it was a fact. I hadn't spoken even once during the confrontation with Ishizaki and Co; she was the one who had done all the talking. I wouldn't be at risk of being found out even if they asked Kiryuin. She understands my desire to live a normal school life, which has significantly been overturned by the rather strange S-System in school. I knew she wouldn't divulge anything about me that would force me out of my comfort zone. From what I've seen, Kiryuin is someone who understands that very well herself, being in a similar position.

I slowly got up from my chair at the café, and headed back to the dormitories. It was a tiring day, and I was incredibly sweaty from being in the Special Building for so long. I needed a shower.

(Day of the Trial; Ayanokoji, Kiyotaka POV)

I took the next left, and sprinted down the Shopping District, with Ichinose Honami hot on my heels.

"Where are we going, Ayanokoji-kun?!", Ichinose called out from behind.

"We're almost there."

I turned the last right, and slowed down, keeping my eye peeled on the alley to my left. Ichinose slowed down behind me as well, and we slowly approached the mouth of the alley.

"Why do you keep sending me these? How do you know my room number?", Sakura said, with fear in her voice, as she threw down what seemed like more than a 100 letters onto the floor.

"Of course I would know your room number. It's because our hearts are connected. We were made for each other. Ever since I saw you on that magazine, I've loved you. Meeting you here like this...it feels like destiny...I can't stop feeling about you this way!"

"Please stop it! It's bothering me!"

"Why do you reject my love for you this way, even after I wrote my feelings out for you?", he took a step forward.

"Don't come any closer!"

Ichinose tugged at my sleeve, and I knew that I'd have to stop them now. I was hoping to get some more definite evidence, but looks like we had to step in. Taking her hand, me and Ichinose walked in like a delinquent couple, snapping pictures of the man in action.

"Oh look! The old man is doing something naughty!", I said, completely contradicting my usual character. Sakura looked at me dumbfounded, unable to speak. I was slightly embarrassed at my predicament, but I had to keep it up.

"Oh my. Look at all those letters on the ground", Ichinose said, "GROSS. Are you a stalker?"

"No, no! She just came here to ask me how to use a digital camera. I was just teaching her how to."

I moved in closer to the man, and pressed him against the shutter.

"Listen here, old man. Me and my girlfriend took pictures of you doing disgusting things to this girl. If you ever lay hands on her, or even look at her again, I'll expose you. Got it?"

"OK, OK!! I get it, I won't do it again!"

The old man, having all his will to fight, rushed back into his store.

Ichinose went to Sakura to calm her down. "Ho-how did you find me?"

I showed her my phone. The GPS tracking feature was turned on, and it was currently focused on Sakura. "We had shared contact information the other day. I was able to pinpoint your location using this."

As Sakura heaved a sigh of relief, and Ichinose continued to comfort her, I switched on my phone and turned on the GPS feature again.

Takeyama-kun was currently in the Special Building. What was he doing there?

A/N's:

Sorry for speeding through this chapter. I was kinda bored cuz this part doesn't really have any interesting action or significant character development of the main cast. But we've got the Island Exam coming up next, and I'm pumped! Probably one of the best arcs.

See ya next chapter. Cheers!

Chapter 13 - Speranza

Two weeks of summer vacation, in the vast expanse of the ocean, aboard the luxury cruise liner, Speranza.

It sounded too good to be true. There must be a catch.

Since Midterms were over, the school was going into summer break, and had decided to give its first year students a rather overkill summer trip aboard the Speranza, the school's personal luxury cruise liner. Chabashira-sensei came into homeroom and had announced that all classes in the first year will be taken on a completely school-sponsored trip, which meant that no Private Points would be required for using the facilities aboard the ship. This had come as a lifesaver for most of the students of Class 1-D, who had spent their entire budget in the first month itself. I had quite a few points left over when I last checked, at around 73,000.

The salty ocean wind hit me on the face as I pushed these thoughts away. The deck on the cruise liner was my favorite way to spend time. The ocean air was refreshing, and the sun was beating down on my back. The weather was truly splendid.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see 2 girls chattering among themselves excitedly, while glancing in my direction every now and then. I caught one of them looking at me, and she immediately was taken aback. Nevertheless, they meekly approached me and joined me on the deck.

"Ano, Takeyama-kun? We were hoping if you could j-join us at the bar on the South Side now? If you're fr-free, of course! No pressure!"

I was free, and I didn't really have anything to do on the deck. I casually agreed to join them, and they jumped in joy at my confirmation.

Wait, is this what they call a double date? No, if I remember correctly, a double date means 2 couples, but here there's one guy and 2 females. What does this even come under?

From our back and forth conversation, I learnt that both these girls were from Class A, Nishi Haruka and Ryoko Nishikawa. I wasn't sure whether there was an ulterior motive in inviting me to the bar, perhaps to gain information about Class D. But I did not sense any malicious intent from either of the 2 girls. Maybe I was overthinking. I should enjoy my time on the cruise while it lasts, I guess.

I took this as an opportunity to learn more about the inner workings of Class A. Out of all the classes in our year, Class A and Class C were the ones I had least information on. I at least knew that Class C had some sort of dictator ruler at its helm. My suspicions were confirmed during my time with Ishizaki from Class C, when he said, ' but he'll screw us all'. This led me to conclude that Sudo's incident was in fact instigated by someone behind the scenes, and this person was mostly the dictator of the class. To have such absolute control over the class within just 2 months of school was surprising, but also very interesting. I wonder how this person managed to do it.

From the time I spent with the 2 girls, I had come to learn that there was some sort of civil war going on within Class A, and this piqued my interest. Apparently, the class was split into 2 factions — the Katsuragi Faction and the Sakayanagi Faction. While Katsuragi believed in solid defensive strategies with low risks, the Sakayanagi Faction was more open, and incorporated many methods into their strategies, underhanded methods included. Sakayanagi had a weak physical constitution, so she is unable to take part in any physical activities.

I could not gather any more information from them, since me poking around anymore would spark suspicion among the 2 girls, and they would find out that I only accepted their invitation to spy on Class A. I could not allow that to happen. I had to maintain my good image among the girls. Believe it or not, they're the best sources of information.

I walked both the girls and to their respective rooms, and 'promised' them I would definitely hang out with them again.

After this ordeal, I headed back to the deck to mesmerize and immerse myself in the fresh air once again, but I was rudely pulled back behind the stairwell of the ship by Ike. He had a livid look in his eyes, and was accompanied by Yamauchi, Sudo and Ayanokoji.

"Takeyama-kun, you can't be doing this!", Ike started, "you can't keep hanging out with the girls! You and Hirata have already gathered over half of Class D! And now you think that's not enough, and you're frolicking with girls from Class A as well! Come on man, leave a few for us as well!"

I could see Yamauchi furiously nodding at at Ike's statement, while Ayanokoji just watched the scene unfold. I didn't have an answer to Ike's request. I mean, what kind of a question is that? What is the right answer to such a question?

"Hey, leave the guy alone. If you wanna be popular, stop acting like perverts and actually do something that will make the girls like you, for once", Sudo said, supporting my cause and sparing me from speaking. Sudo and I had gotten a bit closer ever since the Class C incident, and we'd even had lunch together on more than one occasion.

"Wait, you too Ken!", Yamauchi cried out, "I thought you would be on my side! Aren't you worried a bit?"

The 2 exchanged light banter, which ended with Sudo putting Yamauchi on a choke hold.

"Ahh-ahh, holy shit, ok, I give, I give!" Sudo released Yamauchi. "Goddamn it Ken, you're most probably gonna kill Kanji or I before we graduate!"

The mood significantly lightened, and Ike gave a low whistle.

"Hot property at 12 o'clock!"

We turned to look, and there she was, in all her cute and cuddly beauty, the Class Angel Kikyo Kushida, in a dazzling swimsuit. Both Ayanokoji and I kept our mouths shut throughout Ike's praise speech on Kushida, and Yamauchi joined into the speech as well, adding a few points of his own.

"Hey, Takeyama, give me some tips. I've made an important decision. I'm gonna go and ask Kushida-chan if I can call her by her first name, and whether she would be ok to use mine! What do I need to do to make it work?", Ike asked, getting himself ready to head out.

I looked at him dumbfounded. Tips? What tips? Does it look like I know what I'm doing? It's not like I go and try picking up girls. They come to me. There's a difference.

"You really think I know what I'm doing? It's not like I'm trying, Ike-kun. Just go ahead and normally ask her. It's not that big of a deal, is it?"

"Of course it's that big of a deal! What do you mean it isn't!?", Ike stared into my soul, "you need to understand how hard it is for guys like us to actually get the chance to speak with girls this way! You wouldn't understand, would you though?"

I let out a sigh, and I pushed Ike out onto the deck.

"!?"

Ike stumbled out onto the deck, and it caught Kushida's attention.

"Oh, Ike-kun! What're you doing here?", she asked in a fairy like voice.

"Damn bro, you played him dirty", Yamauchi whispered into my ear. I just snickered to myself.

"Oh Kushida-chan! It's um...it's nothing! Don't worry about it!", Ike said, trying to come up with some excuse. Grow a pair, Ike. You'll never get girls like this.

"It's alright, Ike-kun! You don't have to hesitate to tell me! I'm listening, honest!"

"Well, uhm, I-I was just wondering if I co-could possibly call yo-you by your first name, Kushida-chan, and if you're ok with using mine?"

There. He had said it. The fate of his love life now rested in Kushida's hands. If he gets rejected now, there's no going back.

"Sure, no problem, you can call me Kikyo! And I have no issues calling you Kanji!". she chirped admirably.

"Wait, really!? You're the best, KIKYO-CHAN!", Ike screamed at the top of his lungs, before running off with Yamauchi to celebrate his newfound victory. Well, good for him, I guess.

"Psst, Ayanokoji?", Sudo whispered, "you're close to Horikita right? Do you know her first name? I think I might have fallen for her. You too aren't too close, right? I'll kill you if you're both dating."

"No, we're not dating. It's nothing like that.", Ayanokoji replied monotonously.

"You're not? Cool. So, what is her first name?"

"I think it's Suzune."

"Suzune, uh? Alright, I'm gonna go on a mission again, then!". Saying so, Sudo stood up and prepared to walk towards Horikita, but I tugged his sleeve and pulled him back down.

"Wha--? Hey, Takeyama, what's the deal?!", Sudo bellowed.

"You really think someone like Horikita will allow you to call her by her first name? Instead of going ahead and destroying your already low reputation in class, wait for a chance to redeem yourself and then go ahead. You'll just irk her and screw up future chances with her if you go right now."

Sudo stared at me incredulously, trying to figure out the meaning behind my words. "I guess that does make sense. Thanks, Takeyama. So, when do you reckon I should go?"

"Wait for an opportunity", I replied, "it'll present itself soon enough. Don't be hasty. Help out the class in all its exams to rake in points, and try to stay out of trouble. It's the only way you can get into Horikita's good books."

The usual boisterous Sudo had become calm and collected, and he quietly nodded along with my explanation.

"So this is why the girls like you, uh? You're pretty darn clever along with those looks", Sudo commented.

I decided to not answer that question.

The ship slowly cruised forward, towards an island that I had spotted not too long back. From the speed and direction that we were heading, I could deduce that we were indeed moving towards the island, and we would probably reach there in another hour or two.

I made my way back to my room, and decided to pack things up. It looked like we were gonna be heading out soon.

The ship sailed onto the island, and anchored shortly after. We were all asked to disembark, and most of the students were confused as to what was going on. I had a fair idea of what it might be, but again, you can never be 100% sure about anything.

The classes descended the ship in an orderly fashion, with Class A first, then B, followed by C, and finally Class D. I got off the ship along with Yosuke and Chiaki, who were both wondering the purpose behind this island visit.

All classes lined up on the sandy beach of the deserted island, and the homeroom teacher of Class A, Tomonari Mashima, stood up on a podium that had been just got together on the island. He held a loudspeaker in his hands, and looked like he was going to announcing something that was related to all the classes present.

"Damn, I wanna go to the beach already! It's like right there!", Ike muttered under his breath.

Mashima-sensei surveyed the crowd, and began speaking.

"Well, it looks like all classes are here. So, we will now officially commence the current academic year's first special exam."

Special exam? Murmurs began to arise from the crowd, and many students from Class B and C voiced their concerns regarding this exam.

"From today until the 7th of this month, you will all be living on this deserted island, to check whether you can all survive as a class, and a group. No student will be permitted to board the ship unless the situation demands so."

"Wait, so we've gotta stay on a deserted island for a week, and not board the ship!? What the hell! And I thought this was a summer vacation!", Ike wailed loud enough for everyone to hear.

"There are several organizations and worker associations that openly promote deserted survival tactics. Think of this as an exposure and learning experience for the future.", Mashima-sensei continued, as though he had never heard Ike speak.

"However, do not fret. There are several ways in which you can continue to enjoy your time on this survival island. Campfires, barbecues and fireworks, just to name a few. The main essence and theme of this exam is 'Freedom', after all."

Freedom? That sounded fishy. Why call it freedom? If this really was an exam, there was definitely some way or the other in which we would be tested, right?

"As a major part of this special exam, each class will receive 300 Points. If you use your Points well, you'll be able to enjoy your stay on this island to the fullest."

This part irked me. Enjoy the island to the fullest? The class was getting 300 Points. Since Mashima-sensei said use your points well, that would mean that there is a way to save points? Does that mean...?

"When this special test is over, each class's remaining points will be added to the Class Points. Your total point change will reflect over the summer."

I knew it. This was an exam that had been set up with one objective: to give lower classes a chance to actually rise up in the rankings. Most of the point gaining procedures that we were aware of till now were solely academic based, which highly favored Classes A and B. This special exam would mean that there would not be much gap in skill levels between all the classes.

"Wait, that means we can increase our monthly allowance by leaps if we manage to remain stringent during this exam. As long as we don't spend a single point, we'll get 30,000 extra Private Points per month!", Ike exclaimed. Others had come to the same conclusion as well. But that was unlikely. If all you had to do was not spend a single point, then this exam was too easy. You could easily just gain 300 Class Points this way.

Chabashira-sensei confirmed my suspicions, as she distributed a manual a few dozen pages thick, which contained a list of all the things that were purchasable with points on the island, and several rules were listed at the back as well.

#1. Anyone deemed unable to continue the test due to poor health or serious injury will be penalized 30 points. That student will then retire.

#2. In the event that a student has polluted the environment, he or she will be penalized 20 points.

#3. In the event a student is absent during the 8am or 8pm roll call, 5 points will be taken for each student absent.

#4. In the event a student is found guilty of an act of violence towards another class, robbing another class, or causing damage to another class's property etc., the offending student's class will be immediately disqualified, and the individual will forfeit all of his or her Private Points.

Rule #1 seemed to be the one that answered my questions. It explained how spending some amount of points would be inevitable, since we cannot risk our classmates falling sick on this island. It would bring us more harm than good if we purposely played stingy during the beginning, and lost out on points at the end because of drop-outs.

It seemed that the rules were same throughout all the classes. All these rules were indicative of a contest of restraint; since we had roll call in the morning and evening, it was impossible for a student to sleep his way through the exam. The other 3 rules were to monitor individual student actions, like littering and other careless behavior. They were all very reasonable.

Mashima-sensei then announced on the speaker that Class A specifically would be starting out at 270 Points, since Sakayanagi Arisu had already retired. So we already had a headstart over Class A? It was essential we use this to our advantage.

I flipped through the manual to look at all the things we could buy using our points. There were some very basic things that were definitely required, like tents and cooking-ware. There were also means of gathering our own food via fishing rods and baits, which were available for purchase for 5 points per rod. Barbecues, packaged meat, coal, fireworks, hammocks, nets, digital cameras, walkie talkies... a porta-potty costed 20 points? It looked expensive to me. Using the restroom is something that all of have to do. Since we're not allowed to relieve ourselves on the island itself (Rule #2), it would be an almost necessary expenditure. The manual was very detailed.

Chabashira-sensei walked over to us. "Gather around class. I'll be explaining the rest of the rules now." So there were more, uh? However, before Chabashira-sensei could start explaining, a loud voice echoed in the background.

"Yoo-hoo~~!"

The owner of the voice came crashing onto Chabashira-sensei, who somehow managed to stay upright.

"What're you doing here? Shouldn't you go and start explaining the rest of the rules to your class?", Chabashira-sensei grunted.

"Can I not be friendly? I just came to say hi!", Hoshinomiya-sensei said lovingly, and she latched onto Chabashira-sensei's arm.

"Just go back to your class, already."

"Aww~~ok... Hello Takeyama-kun, Ayanokoji-kun!", Hoshinomiya-sensei said. Both Ayanokoji and I bowed in return.

"Now, now , Takeyama-kun, I saw you with some girls on the ship eh... which one is the lucky girl?"

"Just acquaintances, sensei, nothing else."

"Acquaintances, eh? I see you've been friendzoni- OW!", Hoshinomiya-sensei clasped her head as Chabashira-sensei hit her with a clipboard yet again.

"Please don't harass my students, Chie. Maybe you should go back and actually do something with your class."

"Alright, alright", Hoshinomiya mumbled, " 'k then, see you later, Takeyama and Ayanokoji!", with that, she headed back to her Class B. I wonder how they keep up with such a teacher.

"I think I'll start with the rules once again", Chabashira-sensei started after she regained her composure, "there are several designated 'spots' on the island. In these spots, there is what's referred to as the right of exclusive possession, and only the class that occupies that spot may exercise those rights. The class that obtains those rights is entirely free to determine how they wish to exercise them. However, rights of exclusive possession are only valid for a period of 8 hours after being invoked, after which they are automatically revoked. That means another class acquire those rights at that time. Also, you gain one bonus point if you occupy a spot once. However, that point is provisional, and cannot be used during the testing period. Therefore, bonus points are calculated and added after the test has ended. Because the school is constantly monitoring you, there is no room for fraud. Please be aware of this fact. The rest of the rules are written in detail in the manual."

I went through the manual again.

A specialized keycard is required to occupy a spot.

You can earn one point by occupying a spot each time. Occupied spots can be used freely.

You will lose 50 Points if you use a spot occupied by another class without permission.

Only a designated leader can use a keycard.

It is impossible to change the leader without suitable justification.

It seemed to be a very simple approach exam. Whoever gets more spots would be on the top. If a class managed to hold onto 3 different spots continuously for 7 days, they would stand to gain 63 Points from spot occupation alone. The early bird gets the worm, in a sense.

But that was impossible, because of the final rule written in the manual.

On the seventh day, the last day of the test, each class would be allowed to take a guess at who the other classes' leader might be. If they get their guess right, then 50 Points would be awarded to the class, while the other class whose leader was guessed would be forced to pay 50 Points as compensation. So you cannot freely move around with the keycard. It was high risk, high reward.

However, these guesses also come with risks. In case the class incorrectly guesses the leader of the other class, then you would suffer a 50 Point penalty for an incorrect guess. Also, the class whose leader has been guessed would lose out on all the bonus points that they had accumulated throughout the entire stay. This would definitely force defensive strategies to prevail in this exam, as well.

"It is mandatory for a class to have a leader. Discuss amongst yourselves who you want to appoint as the leader. I'll give you a keycard stamped with their name. In the event that you do not decide, the school will decide for you. That is all."

I looked at the cruise ship one last time, and turned towards the foliage that stretched before me.

The Deserted Island Survival Exam was already underway.

A/N's:

Hello! We've officially reached 3K reads on this story! Thank you for continuing to support this fic! The next few chapters will be based on the island exam, and I'm planning to change quite a few things in this arc.

Cheers.

Chapter 14 - Deserted Island Special Test, Part 1

Chabashira-sensei had given us a wristwatch to wear in case of any emergencies on the island. The wristwatch monitored our heart rates and blood pressure, which would help in facilitating emergency medical treatment in case a situation arises.

Classes A and B were slowly getting ready to leave and enter the foliage and forestry of the deserted island, while Ike and Shinohara continued to argue about the toilet situation on the island. Chabashira-sensei had shown us how to use the cardboard box and vinyl sheets during our stay at the island, but the girls were adamantly turning down the option, and were pressuring Yosuke to buy the portable toilet from the manual. Yukimura joined into the debate, taking Ike's side. Yosuke was stuck in between helping the girls and complying with the more important concept of saving points for the class's benefits.

I decided to speak up and drive some sense into them.

"Everyone, can I have a minute?" All heads instantly turned to me, and Yosuke gave me a thankful nod for helping him out of the situation.

"I don't think it is wise to fight among ourselves at this point. We're anyways Class D, the class with the least Points out of all classes. This exam is an opportunity to close the gap between our class and Class A. Shinohara-san, it wouldn't hurt to try to use the makeshift toilet Chabashira-sensei has given us, right? We need to be up for the challenge. In case it really is bothering you, we can look ahead and buy a Portable Toilet then. Besides, Classes A and B are already on the move. We must not waste any more time than we already have. Our chances of winning are directly linked to the value and location of the Spot that Class D occupies. We must try to find something central on the island immediately."

There was silence following my short pep talk. It seems I had managed to drive the point in.

"Well, if Takeyama-kun says so, I think we can try...", Shinohara-san mumbled.

"Please don't take it hard on yourself, Shinohara-san. If there really is a problem using the box, I'm sure the rest of the class will be willing to shell out Points to get a Portable", Yosuke added encouragingly, "for now, I think everything that Keisuke has said is of utmost importance. We must start preparing for the night right away."

Everyone had agreed to our points, and had come to a mutual understanding that fighting would not do our class any good. Ike and Shinohara had come to a truce for now, as well.

"Well, I think it is best if a few people can go and scour the island and look for potential spots to occupy. We should start heading out soon", Hirata chimed in.

"I'm not sure if that's a good plan, Yosuke."

"Why not?", Hirata asked me, perplexed.

"Even if 2 people from our class go ahead and search for spots viable for occupation, it would make no sense if there was no way to occupy the spot itself. What I mean is that we must send our leader along with the reconnaissance team, so that we can directly occupy the spot that we feel is a good base camp. Wait any longer and we run the risk of losing the spot out to a rival class."

Hirata thought about it for a moment, and had come to understand my point. "Well, in that case, we must choose who our leader should be right away."

Murmurs arose from the crowd, and the identity of the leader was thrown into the open for discussion.

"Isn't Hirata the best choice for leader?", Yamauchi piped in. What a naïve child.

"Yeah, shouldn't Hirata-kun be chosen as the leader? It's a fairly easy choice", Mori-san added in.

"No", Horikita spoke up for the first time, "Hirata-kun should be the last contender for leader. He is the class representative itself. Don't you think it'll be a fairly easy guess for the other classes to come to when they guess our leaders?"

Yamauchi understood how stupid his point was, and hung his head in shame.

"But, Horikita-san, I'm not sure if that is entirely correct", Yukimura added.

"Why do you think so?"

"It's exactly because Hirata is our class representative that we can afford to have him as our leader. The other classes would never think of appointing their own class representatives as leaders, so when they guess, Hirata will be the last person that comes to their minds. It's reverse psychology", he elaborated.

Yukimura's words passed over the heads of some of my academically weaker classmates, but most of them had understood his point.

"Then, in that case, who do you think we should appoint as the leader?", Hirata asked nobody in particular.

I thought about it for a while. Reverse psychology has its own limits. A coin has only 2 faces, a head or a tail. Similarly, a statement can be classified into only 2 categories: either it is the truth, or it is a lie. Reverse psychology works on these same principles. If one person thinks of event A, then psychology would predict you go with event B. But reverse psychology would demand that you do the opposite to fool your enemies, so you revert back to event A. This cycle continues, and you only keep switching between events A and B. That would mean essentially there was a 50% chance that event A was chosen, depending on how far you continue the reversing. A 50% chance that the other classes would guess the class representative of the class, Hirata Yosuke himself.

50% chance per class to guess the right leader. A 7/8, or a 87.5% chance that at least one class would be able to guess our leader correctly. This number was rather high. It would be better to go ahead with choosing someone other than Yosuke.

"I think we should go with someone other than Yosuke, Karuizawa-san and Kushida-san. They are the 3 students in our class that stand out the most. It is unwise to choose them", I said.

"But what about the reverse psyche thing that Yukimura-kun just mentioned?", Miyake-kun asked.

"We cannot rely on things like reverse psychology during these exams, because it is not known how far students from other classes will think. Let's say Yosuke is the leader. Then that makes it a 50% chance that a particular class, say Class C, guesses our leader correctly. Since all the other 3 classes have the same options, it would effectively mean that there is almost a 90% chance that some class will guess Hirata-kun as the leader. It is too risky a strategy to execute."

"I swear I can't understand anything that's going on!", Sudo wailed, "aren't we wasting time thinking about it right now?"

"Sudo-kun has a point. I think we should decide quickly. Is it alright with the class to have Takeyama-kun as the leader instead?", Hirata asked.

Wait, me?

"Yeah, I think Takeyama-kun is a wise choice for leader!", Sato-san added herself into the conversation, "he's responsible, he's smart and he's well suited for the leadership role!"

Am I?

"I don't have any problems with that", Horikita-san added in. Slowly, everyone in class agreed to me being chosen as the leader. How troublesome. Well, I guess that's what you get for involving yourself too much in the discussion.

"That's settled then! Takeyama-kun will be the leader!", Hirata concluded the session admirably. He offered to stay back with me while I issued my card alongside Chabashira-sensei, while the rest of the class headed into the woods to find a suitable spot for setting up camp.

Me and Hirata made our way through the dense shrubbery and trees. The canopy above provided sufficient shade for both of us to move without being tanned. However, the intense vegetation meant extremely high humidity, and I found myself drenched in sweat almost instantly.

I followed the path into the forest, and I could make out a small camp out ahead in the clearing. It was a relatively good place that our Class had stumbled across. There was a small stream flowing right next to the where the tents had been set up, and we were relatively at the center of the island, albeit a bit closer to the beach on the south. We could possibly save a lot of Points not having to buy drinking water if the water from the stream was potable. There was a small checkpoint in the area, at the center, which I assumed was how you occupied spots.

"Hurry up, Takeyama-kun! Occupy the spot already!", Ike shouted over.

"We cannot occupy a spot so carelessly, Ike-kun", Horikita snapped back, "what if there are spies around us in the trees, waiting for the moment our leader swipes the card? He would instantly be revealed. We must take caution while renewing our spots. And also, don't throw out the leader's name so carelessly. Even the trees have ears."

"Oh, sorry, my bad", Ike grumbled, and he set out towards the rest of where the class was gathered.

"Everyone, I have a very simple strategy to hide our leader's identity while renewing our spots."

"What is it?", Sudo asked excitedly. It was the first time I had seen him like this. Maybe love does this to you. Oh well.

"Every time we need to renew our spot, we can all gather around the checkpoint, and have our leader swipe their card. In that case, even if someone is watching us, they wouldn't know who the real leader is", Horikita explained her plan.

"Yeah, I think that's a good idea!", Hirata said, and everyone instantly agreed to this idea.

We gathered around the checkpoint, all 40 of us, and I took out the keycard from my pocket, and swiped it over the machine. It emitted a satisfactory 'KA-CHING!', and an 8 hour timer started, indicating that Class D now possessed full authority over this spot.

"Well, I guess that's that then!", Hirata said cheerfully.

"Yosuke, I think we should fan out and start searching for other suitable spots immediately. I strongly believe that playing defensive in this exam will not get us anywhere. We must be proactive and try to find out the topography of the island as quickly as possible", I said.

"You make a good point, Keisuke, but won't it become obvious to the rest of the classes that you're the leader if you keep going around searching for spots to occupy?", Chiaki had spoken for the first time on the island.

"I didn't say we had to occupy spots", I corrected her, "all we have to do is move around the entire island and try to map it out as well as possible. I know it is hard to do that initially, but later on as the week progresses, having a layout of the entire island will be very beneficial while moving around and also detecting other class's movements."

"That sounds like a good plan", Yukimura said, "I think we should split into 4 groups of 10 each, and go in each of the cardinal directions. We'll meet back here by around 4pm. Try to map out the island and also bring along some fruits and berries on the way. We need to keep check of our food situation as well." Everyone was satisfied with the plan, and we split up into 4 groups and headed out from the main base camp.

My group headed out to the north. The wind in my face from up ahead indicated that there might be a clearing or a slope in the vicinity. I kept my eyes peeled for anything that I deemed remotely useful. We had come across 3 more occupiable spots. They were certainly not suitable for a base camp, but it wasn't too far from our base, at around 300m. We could definitely claim this spot and seal ourselves some bonus points later on.

My group consisted of Ayanokoji, Ike and Chiaki in the lead. The rest of my group followed us from behind. Chiaki pulled me aside from the main group and slowly whispered to me.

"I thought you were gonna hide your abilities? You're basically showing off everything right now. What's the deal?"

"You'll see."

Chiaki seemed annoyed at my answer, and started pestering me with more questions, such as ' Why does Hoshinomiya-sensei know you' and stuff like that. I gave her my honest answer that I had met Hoshinomiya-sensei only twice before the island exam, but she was not buying it.

We made it past the forest into an open area with lesser vegetation, and the open ocean stretched out in front of us into the horizon. We had reached the north end of the island.

"How much did we walk?", Chiaki asked us.

"It felt like roughly 600m. What do you think, Ayanokoji, Sudo, Ike?", I asked.

"I'm of the same opinion", Ayanokoji replied, and Sudo also stated around 550-600m. I took out the ball point pen that I had brought along with me, and drew a rough outline of the map on my palm. I then proceeded to mark the way we had come with symbols, and we decided to head back the same way we had come. Sato-san informed us that she had spotted several berry bushes on the way, so we decided it would be best to take the same route and pick up food along the way.

"When it comes to berries, leave it to me! I can instantly tell whether they're edible or not! I've been camping before with my family very often, and I can tell whether berries are edible or whether the water is pure. It's a useful skill set to have.", Ike proudly mentioned. I simple nodded to his statement and continued walking.

We collected as may berries as we could in Sudo's T-Shirt, and we proceeded to make our way back to base camp.

We were the last group to arrive. It seemed all the other groups and found plenty of berries and fruits as well, and from the stock we had collected, we could easily go for 2 days if we were wary of our diets. Yukimura and Hirata came over to greet us.

"Anything interesting your way?", Yukimura asked.

"Nothing, really", Ayanokoji replied, "we found 3 unoccupied spots which would make good bonus point incomes. Other than that, nothing in particular."

"What about you guys?", I directed the question at Hirata.

"There is, in fact. Class C seems to be taking this exam very lightly. They've already set up a base camp on the south beach itself, and they have no intention of occupying any Spot. They have barbecues, tents, soda and meat all over. I wonder how many points it cost them. They're blowing over everything", Hirata reasoned out.

Class C was blowing over all their Points? It didn't seem logical to any extent. Why would you blow 300 Points into the drain just to enjoy your summer vacation? Was there some other plan behind the scenes? Sensei had never told us anything about negative points. If you run out of all points, does that mean you can be free to drop out of the exam without the risk of losing points? But this strategy required an initial loss of 300 Points. This wasn't adding up. The only way they can sufficiently gain points would be to guess all the other classes' leaders correctly. Did they have a plan to do that?

This was interesting. I decided to go and give Class C a visit sometime soon. After gathering around the checkpoint and renewing the Spot for the night, we decided to retreat for the night and get back into our tents. Before I could go to sleep, a thought occurred to me. I had renewed the checkpoint at 8pm that night. That would mean the checkpoint would expire at 4am the next morning. We were probably not gonna wake up until 6:30 - 7am. That would mean there was an approximate 3 hours gap when we would be camping on an unoccupied spot: meaning it could be occupied by some other class.

This was something I had to think of and deal with soon. It could become a handy tool for me to use later on.

I decided to do a rough calculation of the points in my head.

Considering the tents and utensils purchased, we've spent 70 Points on these 2 alone. Even if we manage to conserve Points later on, I'm pretty sure the girls won't let us off without buying a Portable, and that would be another 20 Points. Ideally, we'll be left over with 210 Points, excluding the leader guesses towards the end. We might also need to take a few bottles of drinking water, since a few of the girls were a bit nervous drinking the water from the stream. Which could cost about 20 Points. I'd say 180 is a good estimate of where we stand.

I sighed. That was nowhere enough to how many points that would be an ideal score for the end. Slowly, but surely, I formulated a strategy to find out the leaders of all the other classes.

A/N's:

I've not really got anything to add here lmao. Hope you liked the chapter! Cheers.

Chapter 15 - Deserted Island Special Test, Part 2

I woke up early the next morning to take a fresh breather from the night in the tent. I'd never actually spent my time outside in a tent before, and that made me realize how hot those things actually get in the morning. During the nights, cold air would flow in through the mesh, but the heat from the morning sun also gets trapped inside the tent to an extent. Furthermore, the stench of sweat inside a boy's tent is not something that can be ignored.

I took a moment to appreciate the natural beauty of the island. There was greenery as far as the eye could see, clear sparkling water flowing down from the stream, and birds were already up and about on their morning routine. I cracked an unintentional smile, and closed my eyes, feeling the true beauty of nature seep into me.

"Why, it's handsome-existence-kun, marveling at the sights and scenery of this pathetic excuse of a test."

I opened my eyes and turned my head to see Rokusuke Kouenji beside me in all his bare-bodied glory, getting ready to enter the stream to take a bath.

"Good morning, Kouenji-kun."

"Good morning, Takeyama-boy. It seems even someone like you, who knows how it feels like to be wanted by the fairer sex, has come to acknowledge my perfect existence and body."

What? Did I say something like that?

"I'm afraid I don't understand, Kouenji."

"Oh, you soon will, boy. You and this pathetic class of defects will certainly come to marvel at the perfect and significant existence of someone like myself", Kouenji said. This man was a strange one.

Kouenji did not come off as a bad person to me, unlike the rest of the class, who seem to look at him like he were walking garbage. My first encounter with him was on the bus to school, but we hadn't spoken to each other properly until right now. He is definitely narcissistic, and I agree to it. But whatever Kouenji says and does other than that are always backed up by a well-reasoned and fine tuned argument. During the ordeal on the bus, I was inclined to support Kouenji's cause, because every single one of his points was absolutely correct.

The young population in Japan was slowly rising. In the future, these people would be the ones to carry the future and aspirations of the country. It would then definitely be clear that it was the teenage and young adult population that was more important than the senior citizen population. It's an easy and wise answer, isn't it?

However, Kouenji did not care for the class. He did not care for Class Points, nor did he have any real friends in his class that he cared for. All his Private Points were supplied by 2nd and 3rd Year girls, and there wasn't a shred of sincerity in the man. For all I know, he was capable of dropping out of this island exam just so he could get back to the ship. That's just the kind of person he was.

Slowly, the rest of the class woke up as well. None of us actually had a good night's sleep, seeing that we were in fact sleeping on the ground. My body did not hurt much, but it was payback for staying awake for over half the night. As long as I got 4-5 hours of sleep and a bit of rest, I was good enough to go ahead and start the day.

Our class first gathered around the checkpoint in our base camp, and we renewed our Spot ownership. I passed the keycard around the entire class and made everyone swipe the card on the machine deliberately without activating it, and that would effectively make it impossible for a spy to pinpoint who had indeed activated the checkpoint. However, a drawback could be discovered if someone were to think about it carefully, and monitor the timings and order in which the card swipe was done. They would then be able to narrow down the potential leader by looking at the checkpoint and checking how much time had indeed passed.

Say, for instance, there are 5 people who swipe the card on the machine, and there happens to be a spy watching us. If person A took 2 seconds to swipe the card, and then B, C, D and E also take 2 seconds to swipe the card, then it was simply a task of checking how much time was left on the checkpoint. If 8 hours was still left, then it was most probably E who had swiped the card. If there was 7:59:58 left, then D had swiped the card, and so on. This method was not entirely dependable though, and I did not think anyone would be able to actually pinpoint the leader this way.

"What should be the main goal for today?", I asked Yosuke and Chiaki, who happened to be the ones standing closest to me.

"I think we should consolidate our position and food supply", Yosuke said thoughtfully, "Yukimura-kun said that there was a good amount of berry bushes towards the eastern side of the island. I think a few of us can head in that direction and gather more berries."

"Shouldn't we start making moves and try to narrow down the other Class leaders as well?", Chiaki directed this question at Yosuke.

"Isn't it better to stick to a defensive approach for this exam?", said Yosuke, "I feel it is too risky to try and find out the other Class leaders so soon."

"I disagree, Yosuke", I continued, "we must play on the offensive for this exam. This is one of the few tests where Class A through D are on an equal footing. In short, there is not much skill gap between all the classes. We must seize this opportunity and act while we're allowed to. Finding out class leaders should be of more priority than Spot occupation, in my opinion."

"Are you sure about that, Keisuke?", a worried Yosuke asked me, "is it really a good idea to try and search for other Class Leaders this early into the game? Wouldn't it make the probability of our Class Leader being found out higher?"

"It's a high risk, high reward strategy", I said nonchalantly, "but I believe if we move ahead with definite plans, we can make the most out of the situation."

"I agree with Takeyama-kun", Horikita joined into our conversation. It looks like she had been listening in on us, "finding out other Class Leaders must take precedence over occupying Spots. I think we should start by visiting the other class' bases first, and take a look around. It'll be easier to find out the leader if we have a good idea about their current whereabouts and conditions."

Yosuke had understood our point, and had agreed to this strategy. The group that went west yesterday, led by Yosuke himself, had stumbled across Class B's base camp. A proper communication had still not been established that day, so we decided to head over to Class B's campsite first.

Horikita, Yosuke and I went ahead towards the Class B camp, while Sudo, Ike, Kushida and several others went the other way, towards the east, in search for berries and the like.

There had been significant improvements in the behavior of several students in our class, like Ike and Sudo, from what I could assess. And among them, Sudo had shown tremendous improvement. He always came across as the rowdy and boisterous type, and he would rage over almost anything that even remotely pissed him off. However, due to the problems that he had already caused the class and his almost near-expulsion scandal, Sudo had come to realize that he was hindering the class. He knew that if he continued like this, he would only be seen as a burden. He had diligently taken to studying now. Even though he was still far behind the class average, taking self-study seriously would make a big difference in the coming exams. Also, his athletic prowess would net in a huge number of points if there ever was an event of that sort.

In short, Sudo would become a very powerful asset for the class, and his usefulness would then outshine his demerits.

That's what I hoped it would be like, at least.

Class B, for one, were very unified. They had acquired a fairly good Spot, which consisted of a makeshift well, from where there was a constant source of potential drinking water. But what struck out as extraordinary was the purchases that they had made. Class B had bought only one tent, and there were several individual hammocks that were tied between the trees as well. Each hammock costed One Point, so it was a good deal. The reason our Class did not buy hammocks was that you'd need several trees with sufficiently good distance between them to actually make use of them. This meant that Class B had entered the island test with the intention of finding a Spot with well spaced-out trees.

They were living very comfortably and happily in the island, almost as if this wasn't actually a test. I was honestly surprised at their unity. Guess having Ichinose as a leader does this to your Class.

"Hmm? Takeyama-kun? Hirata-kun and Horikita-san are here as well?". The cute voice brought me back to reality, and I could see Ichinose heading towards us in her tracksuit, followed by Kanzaki. The other students also had noticed our presence, and turned towards us.

"Hey, hey, it's Hirata-kun!"

"And Takeyama-kun as well!"

"Hello, Ichinose-san, Kanzaki-kun", Yosuke greeted the two leaders of Class B, "don't mind us. We're just here to check how Class B was doing things. It seems you have everything sorted out really well."

"Yeah! But it's nothing great, really! We're just trying our best to make sure that everyone has fun!", Ichinose-san replied cheerfully.

Fun? So their intention and mood of this exam was fun? That was bizarre. They had no intentions of making any leader guesses, and were not conducting any missions to find out the leaders of other classes. They were in for a thoroughly defense-oriented strategy. If by chance their leader was found out, Class B will suffer a major hit to their Class Points.

"Is that really the best way to go forward with the exam, Ichinose-san?", I asked, "aren't you at least trying to find out the leaders of the other classes? Wouldn't it be more beneficial for your class that way?"

"Why are you questioning Class B's strategies, Takeyama?", Kanzaki cut in, eyeing me sharply, "do you perhaps have an ulterior motive in coming here?"

"Kanzaki-kun!", Ichinose-san practically shouted, "you can't be so rude to them! I'm extremely sorry, Takeyama-kun!" Saying so, Ichinose deeply bowed her head in response.

"Please don't, Ichinose-san. It is normal for Kanzaki-kun to be wary of other classes. After all, each Class will be able to think best only for themselves. He's right to be suspicious of my words and movements", I added. It was rather painful to watch Ichinose apologize for something that she wasn't even responsible for. I suddenly felt a strong urge to protect.

"But still! You're all guests right now, so it is our duty to treat you with respect!", Ichinose said, as she reverted back to her otherwise bubbly personality.

"So surely you haven't come here just to meet us, right?", Kanzaki directed this question towards us.

"Of course not."

"?!"

Kanzaki seemed taken aback by my quick and decisive pessimistic response. "Of course we aren't here just for idle chatter, Kanzaki-kun. We're here mainly to survey your base camp, and to gauge where Class B stands right now in the rankings. Nothing more, nothing less."

"It seems we were mistaken about you, Takeyama-kun", Kanzaki said, after regaining his composure once again, "you were rather frank with your answer right now. It seems we cannot stop you from surveying our camp, after all. Go ahead, then."

"I don't think we can now, Kanzaki-kun, Ichinose-san", Horikita cut in, "we must head back to our base camp. I think we've already disturbed Class B enough." Hirata also nodded and agreed with Horikita's words.

"It would seem we have overstayed our welcome. Thank you for everything, Ichinose-san, Kanzaki-kun. We wish you the best of luck", Hirata said.

"Alright then! Take care, Class D!", Ichinose said and extended her right arm, which Hirata shook. We then took our leave, and headed out into the depths of the forest once more.

Once we were out of earshot, Horikita turned to look at me with an incredulous look.

"What were you thinking, Takeyama-kun!? Exposing our plans like that? It'll become much harder to investigate Class B now!"

"I'm sorry", I genuinely replied, "I got caught up in the spur of the moment. I was just a bit pissed at Kanzaki, that's all. I didn't like the tone he took with us."

"You should have kept yourself in control. Why did you have to go ahead and speak out to Class B like that? I really am in a Class with a bunch of defects."

"Now, now, Horikita-san", Hirata, the peace loving mediator, intervened, "I don't think we should be fighting amongst ourselves. Keisuke has indeed apologized, right? It's definitely nothing to be worried about."

"Tch."

We silently made our way back to the base camp.

(Day 2, 11:43am; Ayanokoji, Kiyotaka POV)

Kouenji was moving ahead like he was used to living in a forest, kinda like Tarzan. He leapt over the branches and trees, and used vines to travel long distances in a short time. I had pick up my pace on the ground to keep up with him, but I couldn't speed up much since I wasn't going to risk leaving Sakura-san behind.

"Huff, puff — I'm sorry, Ay-Ayanokoji-kun", Sakura said, as she slowly caught up to me, "I'm not very good at athletics, and I know I'm holding both you and Kouenji-kun back."

"Don't worry about it", I said, "even I cannot catch up to Kouenji at the pace which he is going in. It's best for the both of us to stick together."

Sakura nodded, and we continued to make our way through the dense forest. I had lost sight of Kouenji. Well, I don't think that really matters. It's not like he was gonna be of much help anyways.

"Stop."

"Wha-". Before Sakura could respond, I grabbed her by the hand and jumped behind the tree to my right. I covered Sakura's mouth with my left hand, before she had a chance to say anything. That was a close one. We would have been spotted if I had not noticed the cave before.

Slowly, 2 students came out of the cave. I identified them as Kohei Katsuragi and Totsuka Yahiko. I glimpsed the green keycard clutched in Katsuragi's hand.

"It's good that we managed to secure this cave, Katsuragi-san. I think we should move from our original campsite into this cave. It'll be the better choice. We were lucky no other class has noticed this cave yet. It's location is almost on the western end of the island, so it makes sense no other class has occupied this spot yet."

"Luck? I noticed this cave from the ship itself. I figured there was a cave here before we even landed. Be mindful of what you say, Yahiko. We don't know who might be listening in."

"S-Sorry. But when you say 'before we landed', what do you mean?"

"When the ship took a round around the island, it was to give students a brief idea of where they can camp and map out the island. From the ship's deck, I found this path that led to the cave. We just had to travel the remaining distance from our original spot once we arrived on the island."

"B-But it might have just been for sightseeing."

"That was too roundabout for sightseeing. Besides, the announcement they made was strange too. 'Significant scenery' definitely had a hidden meaning."

"Just as we would expect from Katsuragi-san! You managed to see the school's true intentions, and because of that you were able to find a cave here. Sakayanagi-san will have no choice but to stay quiet now!"

"Let's go, Yahiko. We've spent far too much time here. We must get all our classmates to move here."

I waited until they were gone. I waited for another 2 minutes before coming out of my spot. In my hurry, it seemed that my hands had become comparatively warmer. I looked down and noticed that I was holding Sakura's hands.

"Sorry, Sakura. Sakura?"

"Whaaa--!? Yeah, I-I-I'm fine. It's o-okay!", she said, before sitting down on the ground. She was really red, and I could almost see the steam coming from her ears.

"I thought my heart was gonna stop...", she mumbled out.

I slowly entered the cave, with Sakura behind me. Surely, there was a checkpoint inside the cave, which read Class A; 7:55:56. So Class A did actually have occupation of this spot, and they had just renewed this spot, not more than 5 minutes ago. There was nobody else inside the cave either.

"Hey, Ayanokoji-kun, could that person from before have been...the leader?"

She was right. This spot had definitely been occupied only 5 minutes back, and there was no sign of anyone else from Class A either. From that, one could safely assume that Totsuka Yahiko was the leader.

I had immediately eliminated Katsuragi Kohei because, from what I had heard, he was an excessively cautious man, bordering levels of paranoid. He would never nominate himself as leader of the class. Furthermore, he was the one carrying the keycard around when he exited the cave. This was a guise to hide the real leader, Yahiko Totsuka. I would have expected Katsuragi to come and occupy this spot with more people in tow, so that finding out who the leader is would be much harder. But let's not forget that Class A has an internal rift. Over half of the class does not actually want Katsuragi to be the class leader. Furthermore, Yahiko must have occupied this spot without thinking ahead, which led to only 2 people being here during the occupation.

One of Class A's major weakness was Class A itself. They have enemies within their own class, which makes it easier for other classes to gain an upper hand during an exam where betrayal could cost hundreds of Class Points. Katsuragi would never risk that, and he would only appoint someone he trusted as the leader. His excessive caution makes Katsuragi Kohei very predictable.

"Shouldn't we tell this to everyone else? It's really important!", Sakura said.

I nodded. "I'll go back and inform Hirata, Horikita and Takeyama about this."

Sakura sighed in relief, knowing that she did not have to do the communication, and we left the cave to move back to base camp.

A/N's:

I've changed quite a few things here.

First off, Kiyo and Sakura actually run into Class A's cave right at the beginning, when Class D was searching for a spot to occupy. I had to change this though, so I could accommodate my OC. Secondly, the reconnaissancemissions are actually later on, but I added them in before a major plot point for, well, because I did a lil oopsie.

But no worries, I have the entire Island Arc planned out, with every small detail, so hopefully everything turns out ok. Thank you for reading, and as always, see you next chapter.

Chapter 16 - Deserted Island Special Test, Part 3

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE RETIRED?!", Sudo bellowed, which caused over half of the Class to flinch. Even though Sudo was slowly gaining respect from his peers, he still hasn't gotten over his rage issues. But for this situation, I think I'll allow it.

Rokusuke Kouenji had retired from the Island Exam.

"It's just as I said, Sudo", Chabashira-sensei sharply cut into Sudo's shouts, "Kouenji has retired from the Special Exam because he said he was sick. He's been taken to the ship, and will remain there until the end of the Test. His absence will cost you 30 Points."

"I can't believe it", Yukimura stated exasperatedly, "I knew he wasn't gonna be of any help from the beginning, but he's now making us lose Points instead! Does he not care?"

"That is the problem, he doesn't care", Akito added in, "he definitely left because he just wanted to get back to the ship and use all its facilities."

"I don't think there is any point crying over spilt milk", Hirata said, albeit a tone of anger in his voice, "we must try to decide how we should come back from this setback. We cannot waste anymore time."

"Hirata, don't you think you're being a little too lenient?", Shinohara asked, "Kouenji just bailed out on us like it was nothing, and you're asking us to keep quiet about it?"

"What Hirata-kun said is absolutely correct." Everyone's heads turned towards the long black haired girl, "we cannot waste any more time. We must secure Points for ourselves. I think we should start off with our day without any delay. I don't see what good it would do to badmouth Kouenji-kun now, Shinohara-san."

The Class, though irritated at this sudden development, reluctantly moved about on their activities. I, for one, had decided to go fishing today, along with Ike-kun and Sudo-kun. I definitely did not want to associate myself further with that group, but it would be much worse if we ended up with no fish to eat. So I decided to tag along as well.

We had only 2 fishing rods, so me and Sudo decided to wait it out and take turns in patiently holding the rod. After about 10 minutes or so, Ike suddenly jumped into the air.

"Yo, YO! I think I got a big one! Ken, Takeyama, help me out with this!"

Me and Sudo quickly hurried over to Ike's side, and tugged at the pole along with him. Almost immediately, the fishing bob splashed out of the water, and caught onto it was a fish, not more than 10cm big.

"Seriously, Kanji? You're that weak? I thought you had a shark or something. I've seen bigger in my aquarium."

"Come on, man! You don't get to say that until you catch a fish yourself!"

"Oh yeah? That's a challenge? I accept! I'll show you how real men fish, Kanji!", Sudo declared, as he took of his shirt and waved it in the air in some sort of self-proclaimed victory. I sighed at their painful innocence, and moved back towards the camp.

"Hey, Takeyama, wanna go and get some sticks for the bonfire tonight? Ayanokoji and Sakura are coming along as well!", Yamauchi suddenly pranced towards me.

"Don't you already have enough people? Why do you need me as well?", I questioned, "besides it's not even noon yet. Why are you already preparing for a bonfire?"

"Nah man, we don't have enough people! Just come along, will ya?! Stop asking questions!". With that, Yamauchi dragged me along with the other 2 for gathering sticks in the shrubbery.

"Wow", I grumbled, picking up random sticks that I thought would light up in a fire. I wasn't exactly sure what kind of sticks would be needed for a bonfire, but I definitely knew that wet sticks wouldn't do the trick. So I restricted myself to picking up only the dry ones.

Crackle, crack, crack, crackle. I loved the sound that the dry leaves and twigs made when they were stepped upon. It was unexpectedly satisfying.

"Yo, Takeyama.", Yamauchi suddenly approached me, trampling over all the leaves that I was going to stamp over. Damn you Yamauchi. I hope that every leaf you step over in the rest of your life does not make a single sound.

"What?", I gave a disinterested answer.

"It's umm, it's Sakura-san", Yamauchi said, lowering his voice a little since she was basically right next to us, "I think I like her."

"I give you my blessings."

"No, that's not what I meant! I just wanted some tips, cuz, you know, you're like the boss at things like this. I'd say you're probably better at Hirata when it comes to girls", Yamauchi tried to flatter me.

"Uh-huh."

"So, will you give me some tips so I can let her discretely know that I like her?"

"No."

"Wait, why not!? I thought we were friends!", Yamauchi protested. A friend? I wouldn't go as far as to say that we were friends. I'd keep it at acquaintances.

I shrugged. "Just do what you normally do. It's a big turn off when guys act differently around the girl they like, and around other people. You may not notice it, but girls notice these things. It's these that make a difference later on."

"Damn, that's deep! I see how you pick up girls now! So you basically act the way you are, and be yourself! That's simple enough! Anything else I need to know?", Yamauchi was looking at me like I was his savior and master.

"Nothing else stands out, really", I said, "try to help her whenever you can, I guess? It always works."

"Help her out, and man up, right? Dude, thanks! I owe you one!", and with that, Yamauchi turned towards Sakura. I sighed. I don't think I should have told him the first point. If Yamauchi acts like himself, he will almost definitely not get the girl. He's probably the one person in the entire grade who HAS to keep a façade to even stand a chance. I pitied the young man.

"Hey, Sakura, those branches look kinda heavy! Want me to carry them for you?", Yamauchi excitedly and boldly moved closer to Sakura.

"U-Um, no, thank you, Yamauchi-kun. I'll be fine", was Sakura's timid response.

At this point, every guy who had even a shred of common sense in him would immediately back off and give the girl some space. But it seems common sense was rather uncommon in Yamauchi.

"Hey, don't worry! A frail girl like you must be having a hard time lugging these around! I'll carry it, yeah?", and with that, Yamauchi forcefully grabbed over half of the twigs that Sakura had collected, and proceeded to mouth a ' Was that okay' at me. I just nodded, evidently trying to hide my mental facepalm. If there's one thing you should never say to a girl, it's that they're frail and weak. This man was a certified forever virgin.

We continued walking through the forest to gather a bit more fodder, and we stumbled across an unexpected sight.

A girl wearing our tracksuit, was sitting under the tree, with a bag in her hand. She had a swollen cheek, which indicated that someone must have hit her. A swollen cheek from natural causes seemed unnatural, unless a bee stung her inside her mouth. I ruled out that repulsive possibility. My eyes wandered up for a second, but it was enough time to notice a small white handkerchief tied around the second lowest branch of the tree she was sitting under. Was it a mark? Does that mean she intended to return back to this place? I glanced at Ayanokoji. Had he noticed the handkerchief? He probably did.

"Hey, a lone girl!", Yamauchi cried out, "are you hurt?"

"Leave me alone", was her cold response.

"But you're hurt. Who did this to you? Should I call a teacher?", Yamauchi pressed her on.

"Just a class dispute. Don't worry about it", she said, seemingly laughing in self-deprecation. She was definitely shaken up from whatever had happened.

"But we can't leave an injured person alone in the forest right? Besides it's going to get really humid as the day progresses. Maybe you can come back with us to our camp."

The girl looked at him incredulously. "Are you an idiot? Why are you taking me to your base camp?" This girl understood how lopsidedly the cons outweigh the pros when you get someone from outside into your camp. It reveals and gives a clear outline of how the class was planning to conduct themselves throughout the exam. Of course, Yamauchi does not understand that. We had basically used the same tactic when we visited the Class B camp.

"I don't know about that, but we can't leave a person in need in the forest alone", Yamauchi declared. He probably thought this would improve Sakura's impression of him, but for all I knew, Sakura wasn't even looking at him, and was rather uncomfortable with the unexpected situation that had suddenly risen.

"We'll wait here until you come along with us! Right, Takeyama, Ayanokoji, Sakura?", Yamauchi roped us into an unwanted conversation. I simple nodded my head, and the other 2 did the same as well.

After waiting for almost 10 minutes, the girl finally spoke up. "Jeez, you guys are absolutely crazy. Bringing someone from outside into your camp. I'm from Class C. That means I'm your enemy. You must understand that."

"We do! It's just that we in Class D are really good guys as well!", Yamauchi chirped in. "By the way, my name is Yamauchi. Pleasure!"

She sighed. "I'm Ibuki."

"Woah, so do girls like, slap each other on the cheeks when they fight or something?", Yamauchi asked.

"That's none of your business", Ibuki snapped. Despite her words, she definitely was in pain, as she lightly caressed her swollen cheek. She slung her bag over her shoulder, and winced at the pain. Yamauchi's eyes lit up.

"Hey, let me help you with your bag!" Saying that, he moved forward to take Ibuki's bag from her.

"Hey, stay away!", as she did, Yamauchi tugged at the bag, and Ibuki lost grip on it, and it fell to the ground with a dull thud. That was a rather interesting sound coming from a bag, considering we weren't allowed to get anything from the ship onto the island. It sounded a bit metallic.

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to do that," Yamauchi apologized.

"It's okay. But I still don't trust you guys. You understand?" Ibuki said forcefully.

With that, Yamauchi fell silent, and we walked back towards the base camp with a visitor in tow.

"Nope. Not at all," was Horikita's first reaction to Ibuki's appearance.

"Come on, Horikita-san! She's injured and been kicked out of her class! This is the least we can do to help!", Yamauchi shouted in.

"What if she's a spy? There's a high possibility of that being the case."

"If she really was a spy, then she wouldn't have hesitated and disagreed to come here so much! We pretty much forced her to come here because it is really mean to let a lonely girl sleep in the woods all alone!" For the first time in my high school career, Yamauchi had said something that wasn't actually wrong.

"I still do not trust her."

"Now, Horikita-san", Hirata intervened, "I don't think it hurts to shelter her for just a few days. She might be just innocent after all. It is really rude to ignore someone to an extent where we forget all sense of reason, is it not?"

"You guys just don't understand, do you?", Horikita snapped, "what if she finds out the leader? Who will take responsibility for that? Certainly not me. I'm absolutely against her entering the camp."

"Fine, then let's put it up to vote!", said Yamauchi, "then there's no room for fault!" Again, I was baffled at Yamauchi's rather good suggestion. Did staying next to Sakura and hitting on her do this to him? I don't need sleep, I need answers.

The issue was put up to vote, and Horikita lost out 31-9. It was a massive defeat.

"Well, then I think it is settled!", Hirata chirped, "I'll go and talk to Ibuki about the situation. Takeyama, Ayanokoji, can you both come along with me?" I wondered why Hirata did not call Yamauchi. To be honest, it wasn't too hard to guess why.

We started walking towards Ibuki. Once we were out of earshot of the others, Hirata turned to me with a worried expression.

"Keisuke, do you think it was a good decision to let Ibuki into our basecamp? I noticed that you had raised your hand against letting her in."

"I do think it is rather risky, Yosuke", I started, "we do not know how this will fan out. I'm not going to go against the class's wishes. However, I would definitely recommend everyone to exercise stronger caution now. It's a price we must pay for letting her into the camp."

"I see, thank you Keisuke", Hirata smiled, "you sure are very calm and collected, and can take split-second decisions without hesitation. I think you would make a much better leader than me."

"No, I can't. A leader is someone who can lead the class with trust. Only someone who has wholehearted trust of the entire class can be suitable to being leader. I do not posses these qualities. You're the best we can get."

Hirata smiled at my compliment, and we reached Ibuki.

"Ibuki-san,", Hirata called out, "I believe we have come to a consensus. You are free to use our basecamp for the night."

"No, I don't think so," Ibuki retorted, "I've already caused you all enough trouble, I must leave."

"No, please wait!", Hirata jumped up and blocked Ibuki's path, "this is a test. So of course some students will doubt you. But I don't want to chase you away if you cannot go back to your own class. Please tell us what happened."

"I cannot say that. Besides, you'd hate it if more of your strategies leak out, right?" With that, she started to walk away.

Hirata went ahead to stop her, but I held his hand and pulled him back.

"Keisuke? What is it?", Hirata was surprised at my sudden change in stance.

"I don't think it is wise to continue to pester Ibuki-san like this. Besides, she has openly refused all invitations for camping on our Spot, even though we have provided her full permission to do so. We cannot force her, Yosuke. It's like trying to dig your own grave."

I turned around to face Ibuki, who had stopped in her tracks to listen in to our conversation. "Ibuki-san, you do understand that we're doing this out of goodwill? However, once you step out of out Spot, we will mark you as an enemy. You cannot come back and ask for help later even if you really need it. So please make your choice carefully, Ibuki-san. Sleeping in the woods is something nobody likes to do, however tough they may be. Please consider our offer, and stay on our basecamp."

The die had been cast. Her response to this question would guarantee whether she really is a spy or not.

From what I had heard from Hirata and Yukimura the other day, Class C had already spent all their points on luxuries and on enjoying their summer vacation. If they really wanted to get at least some Points from this Island Exam, they had no choice but to guess the other Class's Leaders. Ibuki being thrown out of Class C at such a convenient time fueled my suspicions even more. If she really needed to find out the Leader of our Class, she would have to infiltrate an enemy Class and find out their Leader.

However, the catch was that Ibuki wanted to enter the Class in the most normal way possible — by continuing to refuse helping hands and then enter the Class, giving an impression that she wasn't actually happy to be there, and had entered reluctantly. However, my question cut off all escape routes. She had stated not 15 seconds back that she would not like to camp in Class D's camp. I had then completely shut down all hopes of entering our Class later on, and she would have to make a decision on whether to stay or not.

If she continues to say no, then I can safely assume that she wasn't actually a spy on orders. But if she changed her decision and decided to stay, then...

"Well?", I egged her on.

"Keisuke, don't you think that is taking it too far?", Hirata looked at me with a worried face.

"I think Takeyama-kun's proposal is the best we can do," Ayanokoji joined in, "we cannot force someone who doesn't even want to be in our camp to stay."

Ibuki stayed quiet for a while, seemingly understanding her position here. If she said no just to hide her spy façade, she would lose out on all opportunities to gain intel. That defeats the entire purpose of being a spy. She had only one option here.

Slowly, Ibuki turned around and let out an awful long sigh. She then out her bag down and seated herself on the ground. "I don't want to make enemies out of a Class that is trying to help me so much. I'll accept your hospitality, I guess."

She had fallen right in.

Hirata's tense face immediately relieved. "I'm glad you've decided to stay here, Ibuki-san. We'll make sure that you have enough food and a roof above your head. Please make sure to tell us if you need anything else."

Ibuki nodded, and Hirata left to inform the class of the situation. I was left alone with Ibuki-san and Ayanokoji-kun.

"He's a seriously good-natured guy, isn't he?"

"I think everyone in this Class is," Ayanokoji said, "Are there not people like that in your Class?"

"Not at all...there isn't really anyone like that in Class C."

With that, Ibuki bunched her knees against her chest, and sat there silently, lost in thought. Me and Ayanokoji-kun returned back to the group, and we agreed on certain ground rules that must be set up. For one, Spot Occupation was an extremely delicate issue, and Ibuki promised that she wouldn't wander anywhere near the device.

After renewing the Spot for the night, everyone sat down to munch on the berries and fruits that everyone had painstakingly gathered in the day. I must say, food tastes much better after working up a sweat. Ike and Ayanokoji had also got a fire started. Ike was definitely a very useful person to have during an exam like this. His information on all the different kinds of fruits, fishing, starting fires and such were extremely helpful in getting us through this exam. I noticed Kushida going ahead and giving some fruits and berries to Ibuki, who graciously accepted them.

I tossed and turned around quite a bit in my sleep that night. I couldn't quite sleep in such an environment.

I decided to get up and check on something that had been bothering me for a while now. I looked at my watch. 3:45am. A very nasty time to wake up and have such concerning thoughts.

I slowly made my way over sleeping and limp hands and legs, before I finally was out in the open. From what I had seen the previous night, Ibuki had been invited to sleep in with the girls. Fancy.

I made my way to the heap of luggage that lay outside the girl's tent. I shined a small torchlight at the bags, making sure I covered over half of it with my hand because it was too bright for my use, and searched around for a certain one, which curiously happened to be right on top.

I grasped the bag, and unchained it.

Right now, if anyone saw me going through bags, I almost definitely knew that my entire status that I had in school would completely come crashing down. I would be branded a pervert, a lecher, and my licentious behavior would spread rumors throughout the school. I shuddered at the thought.

I lightly dug my way through the bag, and finally found it. I fished out a digital camera from the bag. Why would Ibuki need this? This was what had made the dull thud sound when Yamauchi had tried to yank out Ibuki's bag from her grip. It was a very suspicious thing to have in your bag, considering that you've already been kicked out of your Class.

But something about the camera struck me as odd. It was surprisingly cold. Why was it cold, when it was always inside Ibuki's bag? I examined the camera for a bit, and I tried to turn it on.

It didn't turn on.

"?"

I was extremely confused now. Ibuki was carrying around a non-functional camera? Did it break on impact with the ground? That would be unlikely, since we were told at the beginning of the test that the digital cameras were pretty sturdy, albeit it comes at the price of reduced picture quality. A simple fall would not have been enough to break it. Had Class C's dictator ruler broken the camera? I immediately eliminated that possibility, and tried several methods to turn on the camera. It still didn't work. Did it even have a battery in? I searched around for the battery port, and took off the lid with a click.

Water dripped out of the battery sockets, and a bit of smoke escaped the mouth of the terminals. The camera was rendered non-functional.

Was this a lucky accident? Or had someone poured water on the camera, deliberately destroying it? I quickly wiped out the remaining water on the battery sockets using my tracksuit, and put the battery back in and placed the camera back in the bag. The insides of the bag were completely dry, so a spill inside the bag causing the damage was not possible. This was a deliberate move made by someone from our Class. The bag was also right on top of the other bags. Someone had fished out the bag from within. When did they do it?

I silently closed Ibuki's bag, turned off my torchlight, and headed back into the tent.

(3:56am, Ayanokoji, Kiyotaka POV)

So he had noticed it as well. I calmly held my breath when Takeyama made his way into the tent, making sure not to step on anyone in the process. His felt his gaze linger on me for almost 5 seconds, before he lay himself down at the far end of the tent.

We truly did think alike, after all.

A/N's:

I don't even know what to write here anymore. Thanks for reading, and make sure to vote on the chapter if you like it! See ya next week!

Chapter 17 - Deserted Island Special Test, Part 4

(This picture is so clapped lol)

"Why do you want me to come along?"

The next morning was clear, and there was a slight wind blowing through the Class D camp. Truly splendid weather.

"Because Ayanokoji-kun and I are going, and I want you to come along as well. Is that reason enough?", Horikita sassed. I'm normally a very calm person, but someone like her really does get on my nerves. She seems to be acting very cold towards me ever since I let it slip that we were there for reconnaissance at the Class B camp 2 days before. She holds me rather low compared to the rest of the girls in the world. Not like I cared.

"Tch, fine," I said, as I stretched out a bit, and stopped washing my face by the river, "I'll come along."

Saying so, I stood up and followed Ayanokoji and Horikita through the forest to the south side of the island.

Previously, about an hour back, Komiya and Kondo, 2 of the people who had been involved with Sudo's violence incident around 2 weeks back, had made an appearance at our basecamp, taunting us to come and visit their beach. Apparently, they had a message from someone named Ryuuen-san, and it was to come to the beach if we wanted to enjoy a week of luxury. It was a lowly method of invading someone's basecamp, but I don't think that really mattered. I was anyways planning to go and meet this Ryuuen-san, but they had come to invite me instead. I wasn't gonna turn down such an offer.

The sight that greeted my eyes was absolutely amazing and repulsive at the same time.

Class C was enjoying their summer vacation like there was no test even going on. They had several tents, coolers with drinks and food, barbecues, and even jet skis. Portable washrooms and showers as well. They had also installed a volleyball net on the beach, and were joyously playing volleyball. They had a tarp, tents, parasols, chairs - anything and everything you would need to have a good time on the beach.

"Impossible", I heard Horikita mutter under her breath. It did seem impossible. From the rough calculations I made by looking at all their equipment, they had spent at least 200 Points just to buy all of this. Class C's strategy was both bold and stupid at the same time.

We came out of the bushes, and one of the male students noticed us. He immediately ran over to a man who was sitting down on a beach chair. I couldn't get a good look at his face, since he was facing away from us, but I inferred that he was Ryuuen, the leader of Class C. One of the other boys came up to us, looking a bit frightened.

"Ryuuen-san has requested your presence."

Hmm? This class had many well-trained dogs. I wonder if I could get one if I managed to befriend Ryuuen?

"He rules his classmates like a king. We're getting quite a grand welcome. Want to go along?", Horikita directed this question towards me and Ayanokoji.

"It's up to you, Horikita," Ayanokoji listlessly said.

I nodded along with Ayanokoji, and we made our way to the man sitting under a parasol, bare-bodied, basking in the glory of the sun and wind.

"I thought someone was sniffing around. It's you lot, uh? What business do you have with me?"

"You seem to be doing pretty well for yourself. This looks like quite the extravagant party," Horikita said.

Ryuuen laid back in his chair, and flashed his white teeth at us.

"Just as you see. We're enjoying our summer vacation."

"This is a test. Do you know what that means? You don't seem to understand the rules..."

Ryuuen faked a sad face. "Does that mean you're now going to offer help to an enemy like me?"

"If the person on top is incompetent, the people below him will suffer. This is pitiful," Horikita did not bite back at her words.

Ryuuen simply smiled. He grabbed the water bottle that was kept on the table next to the radio.

"How many Points did you spend for all of this? To be able to enjoy this level of entertainment, I mean," Horikita finally asked, after a rather uncomfortable and awkward silence.

"Hmm, let's see. I don't really know. I didn't make any precise calculations," Ryuuen replied guilelessly. "Tch. Already getting warm. Hey, Ishizaki. Bring me some cold water, right away."

Ryuuen poured out the remaining water on the sand, almost in provocation. Ishizaki, who had been playing volleyball nearby, panicked and immediately rushed to get another bottle of water for Ryuuen. A mountain of boxes were piled up inside the tent, likely with food and water. Ishizaki peered into one of the coolers.

"As you can see, we're enjoying our summer vacation. We're not enemies. Do you understand?"

Horikita, finding his behavior incomprehensible, pressed her fingers against her forehead and wrinkled her brows as if she had a headache.

"We're trying to warn you. You're an idiot."

"Who's an idiot? Me? You?" Ryuuen was not going to take any insults, and threw them right back at Horikita.

"You want to survive on this deserted island in this shitty heat? Don't joke. You in Class D have to put up with starvation, heat and futility just to save a measly 100 to 200 Class Points. It makes me laugh."

Ishizaki ran over, sweat dripping, with a bottle of cold water and brought it to Ryuuen. However, Ryuuen threw it back at Ishizaki.

"I said to bring me cold water. This is warm."

"I... B-But..."

"Hmm?"

Ryuuen's pupils were just like that of a snake. Ishizaki's body stiffened. He picked up the bottle and ran back towards the tent.

"This test is about perseverance, ingenuity and cooperation. It would have been impossible for you from the start. You can't even make a satisfactory plan." They couldn't possibly hold on to these luxuries for so long. Once they run out of Points, these tents, parasols and barbecues would be their enemies.

"Cooperation? Don't make me laugh. People betray each other with ease. People lie. Relationships built on trust are just aren't viable. You can only trust yourself. If you've finished your reconnaissance, leave. But if you wish, we'd welcome you here. You're free to enjoy yourself, whether it's to eat meat or play on jet skis. Or you would prefer to have a different kind of fun with me? I can prepare a tent for personal use."

That didn't sound too bad. Maybe I could consider the offer?

"That's not the kind of answer I would expect to hear from someone who had declared war on us."

"I absolutely loathe hard work. Patience? Saving? You must be joking."

Ishizaki returned again with another bottle of water. Ryuuen opened the cap, and chugged.

"This is the way I do things. No more, no less."

"Right. Then do as you please. It's convenient for us , anyways."

Horikita had changed her mind. Class C wasn't going to be our enemy here, so they weren't a problem.

"Working up a sweat to evaluate other classes is such a pain." Horikita turned on her heel to walk away, but paused. "There is one more piece of business. You know Ibuki, of course?"

"Yeah, she's a member of my class. What did she do?" Emphasis on my.

"Her face is swollen. Who did that to her?"

While Horikita was convinced that he was the culprit, she purposely asked in a roundabout way.

"Ah. She ran out of here rather suddenly. She went looking for help from another class in the end? Pathetic girl." Ryuuen snorted in disgust, and then laid back in his chair.

"There are helpless idiots in this world. A ruler does not need subordinates who disobey orders. We determined that I would use our Class Points to my liking. That's the fact of the matter. Besides, it's pointless to raise the banner of revolution against the ruling class."

"In other words, Ibuki-san clashed with you when you wanted to spend points," I finally spoke up.

"Well, you could say that. That's why she got a light punishment." Saying so, Ryuuen made a gesture of slapping someone's cheek. He really had hit her.

"And you are? Oh, I remember now. You're that guy. The one who gave Sakagami-sensei and those 3 idiots quite a hard time during the trial. Why're you here now? You know you could come ahead and enjoy yourself here. Want me to prepare another tent for you as well? The girls would be rather happy with you joining in."

"I'll pass."

"Hmm, what a spoilsport. I gave you an interesting offer, on that," Ryuuen looked like he was disappointed in me. Well, I was planning to join in, actually. If I had come here alone. But with Horikita and Ayanokoji with me as well, that decision would might as well be seen as betraying the Class. I was disappointed in myself, too.

"Another boy defied me as well, so I had him driven out. I heard he didn't die, so he's probably out there somewhere, living on grass and insects." Another spy? Does that mean Class B or A have someone from Class C as well?

"How many people did you drive out of your class?", I asked nonchalantly.

"Let's see. These 2 were the ones who defied me, so I kicked them out after a light beating. Looks like you Good Samaritans have given refuge to one of them."

"You... used up all your Points on the first day, didn't you?", asked Horikita. Even if you used up all your Points, there wouldn't be any penalties. The effect was non-existent.

"Yes, as you said. I used up all our Points."

His strategy was to be at zero Points to negate negative elements. It was certainly unexpected, but it came at a high price. With no Points, Class C would come in last in the Exam. Even if they managed to guess every other Class Leader, they would only gain a maximum of 150 Class Points.

"If Ibuki is with you, you're better off chasing her away. If you shower her with your awkward sympathies, you'll have one extra person to prepare water, food, and bedding for. Anyways, if you can't deal with it, she can return here. If she grovels on the ground, I can forgive her. I've a tolerant heart."

He'd forgive her defiance if she returned to being under his control. He seemed pretty sure that she would. It would be difficult for Ibuki to live alone on a deserted island alone for another 3 days.

"What short sighted thinking. You're happy to use your Points now, but what are you planning to do once you run out of Points?"

"Ha ha ha. What should I do, I wonder? Well, I suppose that plain, ordinary people can only engage in plain, ordinary thinking. You're desperate to protect the Points you've been given. Looking around for Leaders, desperately holding Spots, working up a sweat to run around the forest. Absolutely worthless."

"Fine. Let's head back, Ayanokoji-kun, Takeyama-kun. If we stay here any longer, I'm going to start feeling ill."

"See you later, Suzune."

"I don't know where you found that out, but do no call me by my first name so casually." Ryuuen had clearly done some investigating.

"Well, I like rather forceful women. I'll make you submit to me eventually. When that time comes, it will be the ultimate pleasure."

When he said that, Ryuuen touched his crotch under his bathing suit, clearly to provoke Horikita. She turned around, her eyes full on contempt, and walked away. Me and Ayanokoji looked at each other for a second, and sighed. We followed Horikita out of the beach to the north.

We headed out towards the Class B campsite. Horikita had said that she wanted to check on them again, and establish a cooperative relationship between our 2 classes. She muttered under her breath of how this would been an easier task if I hadn't pulled off that stunt back then, but I remained quiet as we walked through the woods.

We had already been to the Class B camp before, so it did not seem any different form last time. It looked like Class B had also bought something that I assumed was a shower room. It had some sort of connection to the well right at the center, and I assumed that the can behind the shower room was probably gas used for heating the water. Class B really had come up with excellent strategies and had kept their costs to a minimum. Just what you would expect from a top-tier class.

"Hmm? Ayanokoji-kun and Horikita-san? Takeyama-kun as well?"

My heart skipped a beat as the enchanting Ichinose Honami bounded towards us, welcoming us Class D students into their campsite, without a hint of suspicion. I could see Kanzaki move towards Ichinose, but he did not say anything, occasionally glancing in my direction.

"I believe I must apologize, Kanzaki-kun," I suddenly started, taking both him and Ichinose by surprise, "I lost my cool yesterday, and said some things I shouldn't have. I'm terribly sorry. I hope this does not affect the Class Alliance that we hope to establish during this exam."

"Please do not, Takeyama-kun!", Ichinose said worriedly, as she took my hand. I tried my best to maintain my poker face. "You did nothing wrong. You were doing what you wanted to do for the class. It's absolutely fine!" Ichinose looked at me with those dreaded puppy eyes. I couldn't help but smile a little at her antics. Ichinose Honami really was an angel.

"It's fine, Takeyama-kun, I might have gone a bit overboard that day as well," Kanzaki said as well, "I believe we can enter a cooperative relationship."

"It really helps knowing that there is at least one Class we don't need to worry about," Ayanokoji observed.

"Thank you, Kanzaki-kun," I said, once Ichinose let go of my hand.

We idled around in the Class B camp a bit more, and I put my hands in my pocket and adjusted the inner lining of my tracksuit, as I walked around. I noticed Kanzaki glance at my pocket once, but quickly averted his gaze.

"Pardon me, Ichinose-san, I'm sorry to interrupt. Do you know where Nakanishi-kun is?", a male student approached her, and asked in a reserved voice.

"I think Nakanishi has headed down to the shore. Why do you ask?"

"I thought I'd offer to help. Is that unnecessary?"

"Oh no, not at all. I'm glad you feel that way, Kaneda-kun. Can you head over and follow Chihiro-chan's group? If you tell them I told you to do so, it'll be okay."

"Okay. Thank you very much!"

Horikita looked very perplexed at this short exchange.

"He sounded incredibly formal for a classmate, didn't he?"

"Ah, he's —"

"A Class C student?", Ayanokoji completed her sentence. Ichinose confirmed with a nod.

One male student had also been estranged from Class C because he'd supposedly resisted Ryuuen. It looked as though Class B had taken him in. Perhaps he felt ashamed about his situation, and hence his offer to cooperate?

"We also picked up a student yesterday. A student from Class C as well."

Horikita then explained Class D's situation to Ichinose-san. She explained about Ibuki, who had rebelled against Ryuuen's methods, and had been hit and driven out of their camp. Ichinose's eyes hardened, as if strengthening her resolve to protect her Class.

"I think it's time to get going, Ayanokoji-kun, Takeyama," she conveniently dropped my honorifics. "We must not waste anymore time and be a hindrance. Thank you for everything, Ichinose-san."

We bid farewell, and left the area. I locked eyes with Kanzaki-kun one last time, and he seemed to return my gaze. I turned around to leave.

Our last destination was Class A. Ayanokoji had informed us the last time that Class A had occupied a cave on the eastern side of the island. We made our way through the dense shrubs, and I could eventually make out the opening of a cave which was — blue? Why was the entrance of the cave blue? As I made it closer, I noticed that Class A had covered their cave with what seemed like vinyl paper, to avoid any unwanted visitors. What was the point of all this? I felt they were being overly cautious of their Spot.

Me and Ayanokoji headed out of the bushes towards the entrance, but Horikita stopped us.

"W-Wait."

"Let's go. Or are you scared of Class A?", I asked, half-jokingly.

"Shut up, Takeyama. We gain nothing by exposing ourselves to the enemy this soon."

"And do we gain anything by hiding in the bushes? We can barely see anything, and there's no one around. We should get closer and enter," Ayanokoji reiterated my point.

"You're both awfully calm, aren't you? Did you have something in mind?", Horikita asked.

"I haven't thought of anything. Come on, let's go," Ayanokoji said.

"Tch. What an unintelligible, half-assed answer."

I ignored Horikita's taunts, and proceeded to walk over to the cave. Naturally, students from Class A noticed us, and came running to where we currently were.

"Who are you guys? Which class are you from?"

I did not know who this one was, but it looks like Ayanokoji had already seen him before. I made a mental note to ask him about it later.

"We came to snoop. You have a problem?" Horikita said, without a trace of doubt in her voice. I was amazed at how suddenly she had changed. "I mean, I would've thought since you were in Class A, you'd be a bit clever, but..."

She looked at the vinyl sheets, and let out a long sigh.

"More than clever, I'd say you're underhanded. What cowardly methods."

"What?"

The person, who Ayanokoji just informed me was called Yahiko, seemed irritated at Horikita's assessment, and glared at her.

"I'm Horikita, from Class D."

"Hah, it's obvious you're from Class D. You're all a bunch of stupid failures, after all."

"Stupid, huh? Then there's no harm in seeing what's inside, is there? Or are you uncomfortable with us being around here?"

"That's not it at all!"

"Then please step aside. You're in the way."

"W-Wait! Hey! Wait, I said! You can't just do whatever you feel like!" Yahiko stood and blocked Horikita's way in.

"You can't enter this Spot! It's occupied by Class A!"

"Is there a checkpoint inside?"

"Yeah, yeah there is. So back off."

"There's no rule that states that we're not allowed to take a look inside, is there? True, we cannot monopolize any Spot that has already been occupied, so it's natural to at least check whether there really is a checkpoint inside, right? Every class would've just occupied Spots that way if this weren't the case. Isn't that true?"

Yahiko was absolutely demolished by Horikita's perfect analysis. Horikita tried to enter the cave now, but...

"I don't think I allowed you to bring in any guests, Yahiko."

A tall, bald man walked in from behind me, and stood next to Yahiko. If my assumptions are right, then this person must be...

"Katsuragi-san! These 3 came to snoop around in our camp! They're a bunch of filthy losers!"

"All right, look inside. But if you touch anything, we will count it as causing trouble to the rest of the class, and we will not hesitate to report you to the school. We cannot guarantee what will happen to Class D after that."

"You're forcefully monopolizing control of this Spot. The rules don't protect such atrocities."

"One class occupies one Spot. Then, they continue to protect that Spot until the end of the test to obtain Points. If you violate this unspoken rule, then it will create chaos. Naturally, Class A will trespass upon Class D's base as retaliation. We should avoid trouble," Katsuragi's calm analysis completely shut Horikita down.

"Well, fine then. I look forward to seeing Class A's results in that case."

"We are quite capable. We also expect things from you Class D. By which I mean, your futile struggling."

We left the Spot, seemingly unable to infiltrate their base. We couldn't glean anything from Class A, after all.

A/N's:

Ok so we're slowly reaching the climax; stuff's starting to happen. Enter Ryuuen Kakeru, a very interesting character in my opinion. Also, I'm planning to choose Ichinose Honami as OC's main love interest. I was confused and couldn't choose between Hiyori Shiina and Ichinose Honami, but I decided that Ichinose would be a better choice (also influenced by author-san's personal tier list). Kei still belongs to Ayanogod.

Thank you for reading, and cheers.

Chapter 18 - Deserted Island Special Test, Part 5

"I was once a once a student of Class D, just like you are."

"I must say that is surprising, Chabashira-sensei. I thought you were someone of higher caliber."

"Huh... well, in my time, the class difference wasn't that extreme. You could say we were up in a 4-way battle, not a 3-way one. Up until we approached graduation of the third semester of the third year, the difference between Class A and D wasn't even 100 Points. One trivial mistake could throw you off balance and lose you the battle."

"I assume you made a trivial mistake, then?"

"Yes. It happened rather unexpectedly. Class C went to hell because of my mistake. In the end, my goals of reaching Class A in the end were all shattered."

I felt really sorry for her, but having her bring up her past was really troublesome. It was quite uncomfortable.

"I'm not catching your drift. What does this have to do with me?"

"I feel that your presence will be vital to reach Class A."

"What am I supposed to say to that? You're joking, right?"

"A few days ago, a certain man contacted the school. He said 'expel Ayanokoji Kiyotaka'."

"He said to expel me? Well, that's nonsense. I don't know who it was, but you won't have me expelled, right?"

"Of course. We can't just expel someone on a third party's whim. As long as you are a student of this school, you are protected by the rules. However, if you cause any problems, that is a different story... bullying, cheating, smoking, stealing... if you cause any scandal, expulsion is unavoidable."

"Relax. I don't plan on doing any of that."

"It had nothing to do with your intentions. If I determine something seems like an issue, it will become reality."

I found the wording suspicious. "Are you threateningme?"

"Here's the deal, Ayanokoji. You'll try your best to reach Class A, and I'll offer you protection to you. Doesn't it sound like a good deal?"

"I won't listen to anymore of this. Can I go now?"

"Too bad, Ayanokoji. I'll have you expelled, and Class D will forever remain Class D. Would you like that?"

With my left arm, I reached over Chabashira-sensei's desk and grabbed her collar. "I remember when Horikita said you make her feel uncomfortable. I understand what she means now."

"Right," Chabashira-sensei laughed, "I just realized that I still haven't given up on reaching Class A."

"And one more thing. I'd recommend you get acquainted with Keisuke Takeyama. He's someone who will help me in reaching Class A."

"Why don't you talk to him yourself?"

"Alas, I don't have the necessary procedures ready to blackmail him with expulsion. That 'man' is the reason I was able to pull this off on you. I cannot do the same for him."

She reached out and grabbed my arm. "You have to decide here and now. Will you help me or not?"

I slowly released my hold on her collar, and made my way towards the door of the faculty room.

"You'll regret trying to use me."

"Relax. My life is already full of regrets."

(Day 5; Ayanokoji, Kiyotaka POV)

I woke up at some sort of scuffling I heard outside the girl's tent. I stretched and looked at my wristwatch. It was still 6:00am. What in the world were they doing outside?

I exited the tent, to find Hirata, Takeyama and quite a few of the girls huddled outside.

"Hirata-kun, Takeyama-kun, could you please call all the boys here for a second? It's serious," Shinohara-san said.

"I understand. I'll call them from the tent," saying so, Hirata left to wake up the rest of the boys from the tent.

"Ahh-goddamn it, what time is it?!" an irritated Sudo appeared from the tent and looked around.

"Everyone, can you please gather around?"

Once all the boys had gathered around, half-asleep, yawning and irritated, Shinohara-san started speaking.

"This morning, Karuizawa-san's underwear went missing. You know what that means, right?"

Even Hirata and Takeyama, the calm and cool boys of the class, were rather alarmed when they heard this sudden piece of information. Speaking of Karuizawa, she was missing, with a few of her friends.

"Karuizawa-san is crying inside, and a few of the girls are trying to comfort her. But..."

"Huh, huh?! What are you glaring at us for?"

"Isn't it obvious? One of the boys rummaged through her bag and stole it. Our luggage was outside the tent the whole night, so it was an easy task!"

"Huh!? No, no, no, no! Huh!" Ike looked back and forth between the boys and girls.

"Come to think of it, Ike, you were quite late in returning from the toilet last night," Shinohara-san stared daggers at Ike.

"No, no I wasn't! It was really dark outside, so I couldn't see stuff well!" Ike exclaimed.

"You stole Karuizawa's underwear, didn't you?"

"No, of course I didn't!"

All the boys started blaming each other for this particularly nasty crime. I took a peek at Takeyama, who just grumbled and facepalmed. Was he thinking the same thing as I was? My line of sight unconsciously travelled towards the stranger of the class, currently seated outside the tents, looking intently at our scuffle.

"So, this seriously is no laughing matter, right? It's impossible for us to camp alongside a bunch of underwear thieves," Shinohara scoffed.

"Hirata-kun, Takeyama-kun, can you find out the culprit?"

"Are you sure it's someone from among the boys? Maybe Karuizawa-san lost it. I don't want to doubt anyone from the class," Hirata said.

"I agree with Yosuke," Takeyama interjected, "we cannot have our entire class unity crumble over an underwear theft when we don't even know if the boys stole it."

"We understand that the 2 of you aren't the culprits," Shinohara-san sounded apologetic. "But is it okay to check everyone's bags for now?"

Takeyama and Hirata looked at each other for a moment, and decided to check through everyone's bags.

*

(Day 5; Takeyama, Keisuke POV)

This was turning out into more of a problem than I thought it would. Going through everyone's bags seemed like such a major privacy breach.

I reluctantly sighed and moved on to the next bag. Hirata and I were doing it simultaneously to get it over with faster. I was sure that the underwear would pop up in someone's bag. Otherwise, there would have been no point of Ibuki stealing it. She had planted it in someone's bag. I had already told Hirata that in case he did find the underwear in someone's bag, to not showcase it to the rest of the class, citing class unity as a major reason. Hirata had agreed, and we were currently speeding through everyone's bags.

I noticed Ike with a pale ghostly face, standing next to Yamauchi and Ayanokoji, whispering furiously. Was it planted in Ike's bag? It seemed likely — Ike was already known throughout the grade for his perverse antics, and it would only be more believable if it popped up in his bag.

However, by the time I finished checking everyone's bags, it wasn't in any one of them. I looked over at Hirata, and he hadn't found it either.

"It isn't in anyone's bag," Hirata confidently stated, "we've checked."

Shinohara-san and the other girls resigned themselves, but were still overly suspicious. They peeked into our tent, and looked up at me.

"Hey, they could have hidden it in their pockets, don't you think? I saw Ike, Yamauchi and Ayanokoji being all sneaky back there — maybe they do have it!"

"I don't have it, jeez! Fine, check it yourself!", Ike and Yamauchi proudly raised their hands as if wanting either me or Hirata to pat them down.

"Fine," I said. "But if we don't find anything, I want you to stop searching the boys."

I bent down to pat down Ike, while Hirata took Yamauchi. I went over his breast pocket, and his back pockets, but it didn't have anything. Maybe he didn't take it after all. Yamauchi didn't have it on him either.

Hirata moved on to Ayanokoji, and started patting him down as well. However, he briefly stopped at the back pocket, and looked into Ayanokoji's eyes. He then stood up.

"Nope, they don't have it."

"Well, I was convinced that one of them had it... if you say so, Hirata-kun, Takeyama-kun." Shinohara had no choice but to accept our assessment. After the interaction, Hirata lightly beckoned me and Ayanokoji behind the boy's tent, a bit farther away from the rest of the group.

"That was the underwear, wasn't it?" Hirata started, looking at Ayanokoji. So he did find the panty on him, after all.

"Yes, it was," was Ayanokoji's mundane response.

"Did you steal it?"

"No, it wasn't me. It was in Ike's bag, but he did not take it either. He wouldn't have been so carefree while opening the bag in that case."

"I see," said Hirata, as he fell into deep thought. "Takeyama-kun, Ayanokoji-kun, will you help me in finding out the real culprit?"

Me and Ayanokoji nodded along with Hirata's suggestion, and decided to let Hirata keep the underwear until then, since he would take the least damage if found out, being Karuizawa's boyfriend.

"Ayanokoji-kun," I called out, after Hirata left to join up with the rest of the group. "Do you have any suspects in mind?"

"No, I don't really know who did it," Ayanokoji replied. I decided to leave the topic there, and continued with the daily tasks that awaited us in the day.

"Hirata-kun, can you please move our tent away from the boy's tent? We can't sleep next to a bunch of underwear thieves," Kei Karuizawa had finally exited the tent, her eyes puffy and wet from crying, and was seething with rage.

"M-Move the tent?" Hirata asked exasperatedly.

"Yeah, move the tent," Karuizawa said forcefully.

"I don't know why we're suddenly so trusting of Hirata-kun," Horikita suddenly spoke up, having kept quiet throughout the conversation. "Why have we eliminated Hirata as a suspect? I don't trust him."

"Huh, what do you mean you don't trust him?" Karuizawa turned to Horikita. "He's the only one we can even trust in this class. You think he stole my underwear?"

"There's a possibility. Besides, you're dating him, aren't you? So it is entirely possible for Hirata-kun to steal the underwear."

"Why, I feel like you're only saying that because you're jealous!" Karuizawa started off on an unexpected tangent. "You're only saying all of this because you're jealous that I'm dating Hirata-kun, and not you!"

"Don't being your personal feelings into this, Karuizawa-san," Horikita replied curtly, unfazed by Karuizawa's remark. "I merely do not trust Hirata. There are several other students in the class. I'm sure Ayanokoji-kun is trustworthy in the class as well. 2-3 people should pitch the tent up together. They can watch each other's backs."

"Huh? Huh? Ayanokoji-kun? Why would you recommend him? For all we know, he's the culprit!" Karuizawa said.

"Ayanokoji-kun is not the culprit," Horikita said calmly. "Just like you trust Hirata-kun, I trust Ayanokoji-kun. I don't trust Takeyama-kun either."

Ouch.

"So you trust that Ayanokoji? Well, I guess that makes sense, he doesn't even have a presence," Karuizawa made a scathing comment. "But I still think that Ayanokoji could have been the thief."

"No, it's not Ayanokoji-kun!" Sakura suddenly stood up, and I was amazed at how she had finally said something in a class discussion. "A-Ayanokoji-kun isn't like that!"

"Huh, and why would you know that?" Karuizawa snapped. "Wait, don't tell me a plain, invisible girl like you likes a plain, invisible boy like him?"

"N-N-No! That's not what I meant!" Sakura's face turned red with embarrassment.

"Would you look at that! It's so obvious, like an elementary school girl!" Karuizawa did not stop her relentless teasing.

"Karuizawa-san, that's enough."

All eyes turned to look at me, and Karuizawa instantly shut her mouth. She turned to me, looking at me with wide eyes.

"What, Takeyama-kun? Now even you're on their side?" she scoffed.

"I don't think this is something that has to do with taking a side. Right now, we do not know who the culprit is, and we cannot prove the innocence of either Hirata or Ayanokoji," I continued. "If you cannot prove that Ayanokoji is guilty, or Hirata is innocent, then please refrain from pointless banter. We're wasting time."

"..."

The class went quiet after listening to me.

"Tch." Saying so, Karuizawa returned back to her tent, along with a bunch of her lackeys. What a bratty girl.

"Thank you, Keisuke," Hirata came up to me after the ordeal. "I really am horrible when it comes to situations like these. I don't know which side to support, because I'm scared that I'll end up betraying the other side. So I stay neutral. However, you, Keisuke, can take the right decision at all times, even when you have to support the rival side. I admire you for that."

"It's nothing, really," I said. "I didn't want to drag this out any further than it already has. I think you and I should go ahead and pitch the girl's tent a bit farther away from from ours, if that makes them happy. I don't know why that would make them happy, though. Not like the underwear thief is going to stop due to increased distance."

Hirata chuckled at my rather astute observations, and we proceeded to move the tent. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Ibuki approach Ayanokoji and talking to him. I didn't know those 2 were close. I did not mind, and proceeded to drive the first stake out of the ground.

It was surprisingly hard. This would take me more than an hour to move.

*

(Day 5; Ayanokoji, Kiyotaka POV)

I felt bad for Takeyama and Hirata, who were working their asses off to move the tent farther away from ours. It was an unreasonable request by the girls, but looks like the 2 of them were determined to make sure that the class unity is not affected by the skirmish.

"Must be tough for you, being branded as a suspect for the underwear theft," Horikita approached me.

"It wouldn't have come this far if you hadn't suddenly decided to take my name, and oppose one of the most trusted people in class."

"It was necessary. I still don't trust either of them, so I recommended you. Looks like you were saved from the trouble by Takeyama intervening."

"You're the only person in class who doesn't trust Hirata. Life will be much better if you just stop believing that all people are two-faced."

"I suppose that's true. I'm certainly not two-faced. At any rate, you seem to trust Hirata-kun a lot."

"I believe he is trustworthy. He's the most reliable in class."

"Do you know how many Points Class D has right now?"

"I'm not sure, but there looks like there were some unexpected expenditures. What does that have to do with the situation in hand?"

"Come with me." With that, Horikita beckoned to me to follow her. I obliged, and we headed towards the girl's tent. "Take a look inside."

"After all that I've been through? Are you trying to get me murdered?"

"I would have done it myself if I really wanted to. Check inside, I'll cover for you."

I opened the flap covering the entrance. Unlike the boy's tent, which was like an army trench camp, the girl's tent was far more spacious. There was a floor mat, so that they didn't have to sleep on the hard floor. There were several pillows inflated with air, and a cordless battery powered fan as well.

"I was wondering how the girls were putting up with the heat so well. So this is it."

"Karuizawa and the others ordered them. Hirata also knew about it, but he kept quiet. In my opinion, this is something that the entire class ought to know about. A total of 12 Points."

"I don't think Hirata did this out of malice. He kept quiet about it because it would crumble the anyways fragile foundation that the girls and boys are currently waging a cold war on."

"The current underwear situation can get out of hand very easily. I want to be able to catch the culprit. However, with the rift that has now been created between the girls and the boys, it is impossible to gather information from the other side. I want you to help me."

"You want me to help you in finding out the culprit?"

"Yes, now that there's a divide, I can't do it alone anymore."

"Understood." As soon as I said so, Horikita turned around, her hair whipping me in the face, and headed back towards the tents.

"Hey Horikita, don't you think it's about time to confessed?"

" Confess? Confess what?"

"That you've been sick ever since the beginning of the Island Exam."

"What? No, I'm as good as I should be."

"Liar." With that, I raised my hand to touch Horikita's forehead. She tried to swat it away, but she had been weakened due to her illness, and was very slow in doing so. She really was burning up.

"When did you notice?"

"In the beginning of the test, when you said you were reading a book in your room. It was a lie. Your bangs were disheveled, indicating that you'd been lying down in your room. On the boat on the way here, you were feeling cold, even thought it was very hot outside. Even right now, your tracksuit is zipped all the way up. Even an elementary school kid can figure that much out."

"It would be great if you could apply all your wits in my pursuit to reach Class A."

"I don't plan on doing that. Anyways, do you intend to continue to hide your condition?"

"It'll do no good to tell everyone else. Besides, there's only 2 more days left. I'll hang on and make it through." With that, Horikita entered the tent behind me.

(Day 6; Takeyama, Keisuke POV)

It was finally the last day of the test. Today night was the last night we would have to spend on this island, and then we would be free from the terrors lurking in the woods. I had heard from Hirata last night that everyone from Class C had retired on Day 4. I hadn't visited Class C after our short stint with Ryuuen on the beach, but it looks like they had run out of Points, and now there would be no use of staying on the island. They had not lost anything, but they did not gain anything either.

Still, Ibuki Mio had not yet retired, even though her entire class had. I was sure that Ryuuen had spent all 300 Points that had been given to their class, which is the reason he could afford to have his entire class drop out without the fear of negative Points. This meant that if Ibuki retired right now, it would make absolutely no difference to the Points Class C currently had.

But then why hasn't Ibuki Mio retired yet?

If she really was a spy, then that meant she would definitely have to find out the leader of our class to get any Points at all. I had kept my identity hidden throughout the exam very well, and hadn't risked occupying any other Spots either, in the fear that Ryuuen or someone from Class C who had stayed back on the island — yes, I was sure someone was still on the island, giving orders to Ibuki and the other spy in Class B— would find me renewing a Spot.

Today was the last day, and I don't think Ibuki has found out about me being the Leader yet. No, I was positive she did not know anything. That would mean today was her last chance to do anything at all, if she really wanted to salvage those Points for her Class.

I stared up at the sky when I left the tent today morning. It was dark and gloomy, with massive rainclouds hovering over the island, threatening to tear up and storm down any second. It could get very hard to sleep tonight.

*

"Horikita-san, do you have a minute?"

"Takeyama-kun. What is it?" Horikita asked.

"Well, I think Ibuki Mio is the culprit behind the underwear theft. You think she could have done it?"

Horikita narrowed her eyes. "I already had my suspicions on Ibuki, yes. Why are you telling me this now?"

"Well, what I really wanted to ask was whether you could hold on to my Keycard for now. I feel Ibuki has been watching me for a while since yesterday. I believe she thinks that she will find the Keycard on me, and is trying to pinpoint whether I really am the leader or not."

"Hold on to the keycard? How will that change anything? The fact remains that you still are the leader," Horikita said, unable to comprehend my behavior.

"Ibuki will definitely need proof that I am the leader, right? I am positive that Ryuuen is still on this island, hoping to get all the Points that he needs by guessing Class Leaders. Ryuuen is will want proof."

Horikita thought about it for a while, simultaneously looking at me with furrowed eyes. "Why me? Isn't Hirata a good choice? He's responsible, after all."

"Sure, he is responsible. But I trust you with this Horikita-san. Hirata stands out way too much. He already has so much attention, I wanted to spare him a few eyes."

"Is it really necessary for me to hold onto the keycard?"

"It's just for a today, Horikita-san. I'll be needing the keycard for renewing the Spot later tonight anyways."

"Fine. I'll hold onto it."

"Thank you, Horikita-san."

*

(Day 6; Ayanokoji, Kiyotaka POV)

It was a certainly weird group that I was suddenly a part of.

Kushida, Yamauchi, Horikita, Ibuki and Sakura. We were all out in the middle of the forest, foraging for fruits and vegetables for the last night outside. I wanted to say that we had enough for the night back in the basecamp already, but I thought that might jinx it.

Horikita had been adamant to not allow Kushida in on the group. However, it seems Kushida's normal girlfriends were having their 'time of the month', so she had come to join Horikita's group.

I could not see any proper reason as to why anyone could dislike Kushida. Leaving out her other persona, which I had only stumbled upon by chance, Kushida Kikyo was a girl who was caring, fun, gentle and loved to help others. You wouldn't think of any reason to ever dislike her, unless they were jealous of her. And I was sure that Horikita was not jealous of Kushida.

"I wanted to talk to you, Horikita-san. I know we haven't been able to talk at all this entire week, so I was wondering as soon as it gets dark, we can head to bed," Kushida said.

"I do not have free time to waste in unnecessary chatter."

"You're so mean, Horikita-san, even though your face looks so cute when you're sleeping." That was a rather odd way of teasing someone, and I could sense Horikita getting a bit annoyed.

Kushida alternatingly looked at me and then Horikita, and then back to me.

"Hmm..."

"What is it, Kushida-chan?" Yamauchi said, unable to comprehend Kushida's behavior.

"Ayanokoji-kun and Horikita-san have been on very good terms right from the beginning. I've been wondering why that is so."

"Good question. Why are you two so close, anyways?" That was a troublesome subject that had been breached open.

"We don't really get along that well," I honestly replied.

"Don't get along? Don't give me that. You're always talking to each other. You're walking side by side right now as well." That was definitely a coincidence.

"I think I might have found something in common between Ayanokoji-kun and Horikita-san," Kushida suddenly spoke up.

"Really? What is it?"

"Look closely, Yamauchi-kun."

Yamauchi suddenly stopped in front of me, and peered into my face, his face not even a centimeter away. He then hopped over to Horikita. Idiot, no, if you do that...

A vicious slap echoed through the forest, and Yamauchi stumbled over at the force. "You're invading my personal space. Get out."

"OOWWW! Damn, that hurt!"

Kushida snickered a bit. "Are you okay, Yamauchi-kun? Maybe that was a bad idea, after all."

Ibuki watched the entire scene unfold with a rather surprised expression. Of course, she did not see idiotic exchanges like these very often in Class C.

"Ow, so what is it that the 2 of them have in common, Kushida-chan?"

"Well, it's that both of them don't smile! That's it. I don't think I've ever seen any one of them smile properly before."

"Huh, now that you say..."

*

We split up into pairs heading into the forest, and decided to forage for food. I was, of course, paired with Horikita. Yamauchi was paired with Sakura, while Kushida with Ibuki.

"Ayanokoji-kun," Horikita started, "could I confide something in you? This morning, Takeyama-kun gave me his keycard, because he felt that Ibuki was suspecting him of being the Leader. So he wanted to throw her off trail by giving me the card instead."

"So you are currently in possession of the Keycard?"

"Yes, I have it in my pocket right now."

"Can I take a look at it?"

"Why do you want to look at it?"

"I've not really told this to anyone except Hirata and Takeyama, but on the second day of our scouting, me and Sakura came across Katsuragi and Yahiko by the cave, from Class A. Katsuragi had something like a card clutched in his hand. I wanted to compare it with the card that you currently have."

Horikita seemed to understand what I was getting at, and gave me the Keycard from her pocket. It was a green card, made of plastic, with a very thin magnetic strip on its back, for occupying Spots. On the front was the name of the Leader, ' Keisuke Takeyama' engraved. I tried to wipe out at the name, but it did not go. It was permanent.

"I think they did have a card like this, but I don't think the color of their card was different," I diverted the topic.

"Maybe different classes have different keycard colors?"

"Hmm, maybe." While returning the card to Horikita, I accidentally dropped it on the ground, and let out a panicked shout.

"Ahhh!"

Horikita quickly bent over and picked up the card, and slid it into her pocket, but it seemed we'd already attracted attention. Kushida looked over at us, worried. Ibuki, too.

"Nothing. Just a bug that surprised me, don't worry about it." I came up with an excuse on the spot, but Horikita nevertheless shot me an icy glare, saying 'I'll kill you back in camp'.

At the end, we didn't really find sufficient food, considering we'd already emptied out the forest by now. We decided to head back to the basecamp. I pulled over Yamauchi to my side.

"Yamauchi, can you take some mud and dump it on Horikita's hair?"

"Wait, WHAT!? You're kidding. She'll skin me alive. Don't bring me in to your love affairs, Ayanokoji."

"I'll give you Sakura's email address."

Yamauchi's ears perked up at my offer. "What? Oh damn, now I have to do it! You better not be joking, Ayanokoji. I'll do it."

Great. The man who lives for love has decided to die for love. I felt a bit bad for Sakura, though. I'll have to apologize to her later.

Yamauchi bravely picked up some mud, and proceeded to walk over to Horikita from the behind. She would have normally noticed, but her deteriorating health had clouded her senses. Kushida and the rest of the group wondered what Yamauchi was up to, and then he smeared it all over Horikita's beautiful hair, and even patted it down.

"Ha ha ha ha! You're all covered in mud, Horikita! Hilarious!"

Horikita stood still for a while, unable to comprehend the situation, but then grabbed Yamauchi's pointed arm, and flipped him over her with a loud crash.

*

"Maybe you should use the river, it's rather crowded outside the shower room," I stated, as Horikita continued to glare at Yamauchi. He cowered behind me.

"I-I-I-I did it! You've gotta keep your promise!" Yamauchi said, looking frightened.

"I will, don't worry. As soon as we return to the ship," I promised. I must reward him for his act of bravery.

"I'll head over to the river instead." Saying so, Horikita left towards the river. I waited it out outside the boy's tent, watching the shower line slowly dwindle in front of me. Karuizawa and her friends were all standing in front of the shower room, waiting their turn to go inside. Sakura was there too, probably afraid of letting the boys see her with her swimsuit on.

After about 15 minutes, Horikita returned, her eyes downcast, as if something bad had happened.

"Ayanokoji-kun, come here for a second." I checked whether Ibuki was in front of the shower or not, and proceeded to follow Horikita towards the forest. I noticed Takeyama looking for a second in our direction, and then turned to face the front.

"What happened? Searching for more food?"

Horikita did not answer. She continued to walk down the trail, and once we were far away from the basecamp, she looked up at me, as if having second thoughts about saying it.

"What's up?"

"This happened because of my carelessness. I am aware that I made a mistake. Okay?"

"A mistake?"

"It was stolen."

"WAIT, your underwear too?"

"No, much, much worse. The keycard... Takeyama-kun's keycard. It was stolen."

A/N's:

This chapter is the longest one I've ever written. It's over 5000 words, and I'm still not done with this arc. Hopefully next chapter will do it.

We've reached 6K reads and 350 votes, which is absolutely crazy. Thank you all for your continued support. I'll wrap this arc up in the next chapter. Feel free to vote, and do tell me whether you liked it or not! Thank you for reading, and cheers.

Chapter 19 - Deserted Island Special Test, Part 6

(Day 6; Takeyama, Keisuke POV)

Horikita and Ayanokoji had, for some reason, left the basecamp together, and had headed out into the forest. I had been looking and keeping an eye on Horikita's movements, ever since I gave her my Keycard. Ibuki had been standing in the line for showering, but she had mysteriously disappeared as soon as Horikita had entered the river to wash off what seemed like mud in her hair. Why did she even have mud in her hair? The way it looked, it was definitely not an accidental fall on the wet trail. It was smeared on her hair on purpose. I wanted to meet the person who had the balls to smear mud on Horikita's hair. I wish I could give them flowers.

Ibuki had gone towards the river. Did she change her mind, and decide to go swim in the river instead? That seemed unlikely, since she had been standing in the shower room for 5 minutes, and there were literally only 2 people in front of her. It was a really bad decision if she really had gone towards the river for swim instead, after waiting so patiently in front of the shower room.

I glanced at Ibuki, who was now sitting on the rocks next to the river, lost in thought. Her hair was not wet in the least, indication that she did not in fact skinny-dip in the stream. Why did she then suddenly decide to exit the queue?

Did she, by any chance, have the Keycard already?

(Night 6; Ayanokoji, Kiyotaka POV)

Me and Horikita were drawn back to the camp by what seemed like a smoke signal.

"What the hell!? Why's our stuff on fire!?" Ike shouted, garnering the attention of everyone in the vicinity.

"Everyone, please calm down!" Hirata, the ever-present mediator, said. "We must extinguish the fire immediately!"

Horikita looked around behind the toilet, the location of the fire. What seemed to be burning was small bits of paper. Some of it was still legible, but most of it had been turned to soot. Ibuki was present at the scene as well, and the expression on her face was just so genuine, I couldn't possibly single her out to be the culprit. Horikita had noticed that.

"I don't get it. If the keycard was stolen, Ibuki must've done it. If there is a fire now, it definitely must have been Ibuki. But she's as surprised as we are, and her expression is just so genuine. I don't get it. I don't get it at all," Horikita mumbled to herself.

"Did the manual get burnt?"

"Looks like it."

Hirata appeared at the scene to save the day. "The manual was in my bag. This is my responsibility. I did not expect it to get stolen in broad daylight, though." He scooped up 2 plastic water bottles, and ran down to the stream. I followed Hirata.

"Why? Why can't we all just get along?" Hirata muttered under his breath, crushing the plastic bottle in his hand. It was terrifying to see this change in personality. Hirata, the eternal peacemaker of the class, was carrying a huge burden, which could not be carried by anyone.

"I don't think you need to take so much on yourself," I said quietly. Takeyama was also there to Hirata's right, scooping up water in a bottle, and looking at Hirata with worried eyes. Guess that makes sense. They were pretty close, after all.

"Thank you," Hirata mumbled a soft statement of gratitude.

"Hey, who did this? Is there a traitor in our class?" Karuizawa started again.

"Why are you looking at the guys?! This had nothing to do with the underwear incident!"

"This could just be a ploy to distract all of us and mislead us, right?"

"Stop jerking around. Like we'd do something like that!"

"Everyone, please calm down!" Hirata cried out. "We must douse the fire first. It takes higher priority." Hirata and Takeyama continued to pour water onto the fire.

"I can't believe it. First an underwear thief, and now an arsonist," Karuizawa continued her hate speech.

"I'm telling you, we didn't do it! Why would we do it!?" Ike started shouting.

"Hey, Ibuki isn't here," Yamauchi noticed this anomaly and pointed it out.

"She isn't here? Wait, could she be..." And with that, both girls and boys were finally reunited with a common enemy to consider.

"Now that I think about it, Ibuki could have been the one to start the fire," Shinohara said. "It's highly probable that she wants to mess with out class unity."

I stared up at the sky. A few drops of rain had already started to fall onto the earth. "Rain, uh?"

"Oh shit! We need to take all the food and luggage inside the tents, or it's gonna get wet!" Ike screamed. "Hey, Hirata, tell us what to do!"

But Hirata continued to stand motionless, staring at the ground, with a lifeless look in his eyes. I had never seen him this way. Hirata continued to stare into space, his head swimming with thoughts and fears of not being able to control the class.

"Why does it always have to turn out like this? What did I do wrong this time? It's just like back then..."

"Hey, they need your help, Hirata," I softly placed my hand on his shoulder, making sure not to startle him.

"H-Huh? Yeah, yeah right. They need my help," Hirata slowly regained his composure and looked at me. "Thank you, Ayanokoji-kun."

Saying so, Hirata managed to get everyone else on track again.

It didn't surprise me that Ibuki had disappeared, but Horikita and Takeyama had disappeared as well. I had enticed this situation, and I stepped out onto the path into the woods.

(Day 6; 5:43pm; Horikita, Suzune POV)

I dragged my body across the muddy road, pushing myself to run through the ever-increasing rain. Ibuki must have gone ahead. She had started the fire to give herself an opportunity to escape. I did not know where she had gone off to, but if I continued to follow the muddy footprints on the ground, I'm sure I'll catch up to her.

I walked for almost 100m before coming down to a slow trot, once I spotted Ibuki a bit ahead of me. I instinctively jumped behind the nearest tree to hide my presence, but I don't think that did any good.

"Why are you following me, Horikita?"

I realized there was no point in masking my presence anymore. I slowly came out my hiding spot, and I turned to face her.

"What are you doing here, Horikita?"

"You know very well why I'm here."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"The underwear theft and the arson. You were behind all of it, weren't you?"

"I don't understand why you're suspecting me. Given, I'm a student from another class. But can you prove that I was the one who initiated all these events?"

"I cannot. I do not have a shred of evidence pointing to the fact that you were behind all of these misfortunes. But I think it was you."

"That's a very terrible thing to say, Horikita-san."

I was surprised at how well Ibuki-san was handling this situation. She knew the predicament that I was in. I was almost 99% sure that Ibuki had stolen the keycard from me. However, there still remained the slim 1% chance that Ibuki did not steal the Keycard. If that 1% were to be true, trying to ask for the Keycard would inevitably narrow down the suspects of the Leaders by a lot. If she were smart enough, she could even narrow it down between Takeyama and I.

"Let me cut to the chase. I want you to return something you took from me," I said.

"Something I took from you? I did not take anything from you. I don't know what you're talking about," was Ibuki's brisk reply.

Ibuki started walking forward, and I trudged along behind. Huff, puff, huff. My sickness was growing steadily worse. The rain had soaked all the body heat that I had left, and I was cold. The dense trees also meant a lot of mist and fog, and the reduced visibility was noticeable. Left, and then right, and left again. Slowly, I was losing my sense of direction, following Ibuki and stumbling through the flora.

She stopped walking, and looked up at a certain tree, with a handkerchief tied to its lowest branch. She put her bag down, bent over, and started digging the dirt in front of her with her hands.

"I'm gonna continue following you till you admit it, Ibuki-san."

"How long are you going to keep following me? It's getting annoying."

"Until you return what you stole from me."

"Why don't you calm down and try thinking? If I really did steal the Keycard, why would I hold onto it? I could have just looked at the name and kept it back. There is no benefit in me stealing it."

Ibuki had just confessed to stealing the Keycard. I hadn't mentioned what I meant when I said 'stolen', but Ibuki had brought up the topic on her own. She had just admitted to knowing what I was talking about, so she definitely stole the Keycard.

"You thought I just confessed, didn't I? You're wrong."

"...?" Wracked by intense dizziness, coupled along with weakness and nausea, I leaned back against the tree, trying to slow down my breath. Huff, puff, huff, puff.

"Your condition had gotten a lot worse."

"Ibuki-san, I want to investigate you with all I've got. I'm not leaving unless you do."

"Fine." Saying so, she placed her bag in front of her feet, and raised her hands above her head, as if in surrender. I slowly walked forward towards the bag.

Instantly, Ibuki's right leg lashed out towards my face, and I had to use every last ounce of alertness I had left to avoid the impact. I stumbled back a bit, but regained my balance, and took a fighting stance.

"An act of violence means immediate disqualification."

"And who is around to see whether I committed an act of violence against you? The school does endorse all these values and rules, but have you ever wondered how they would even manage to figure it out?"

Ibuki lashed out her right arm, but I knew it was a feint. Her left leg rose up in a high, fast kick and I raised both my hands up on my face to block it. I threw out my right fist towards her jawline, and Ibuki, sensing the danger in case it made contact, jumped back on the wet mud, and continued switching between a dizzying cycle of offense and defense.

The mud ground was slippery and soaked, and yet Ibuki had a constant footing and grip over the surface. She had definitely practiced. She proceeded to close the distance between us, and put both her arms on my shoulders. My movements were slow and weak, and she immediately threw me to the ground, and I gasped up for air.

"You've been trying really hard for the last few minutes. As a reward, I'll show it to you." Saying so, Ibuki thrust her hand inside her pocket, and took out a small green Keycard, with the name ' Keisuke Takeyama' written in bold at the back.

"You had a good strategy. Takeyama decided to give you the Keycard. So in case I saw the Keycard on you, I would think you were the leader instead, right? Well, it doesn't really matter now. I have definitive proof."

I had to somehow get the Keycard back. I had thought about reporting this incident to the school, but it would inevitably rope in Class D as well. Class C, however, had already exhausted all their Points, so they need not worry about taking any penalty. Class D had Points to lose. I cannot act carelessly.

If I did get the Keycard back, I could coerce the school into launching a thorough investigation regarding the incident, since the Keycard would have Ibuki's fingerprints on it. Ibuki would, however, never make such a mistake. I had to give up on that option.

"Still, I do not understand. Huff - what did burning - puff - the manual mean?" I asked her, as I mustered up the remaining of my strength to speak.

"I don't know about that. What would I gain by burning up the manual? I'm anyways an outsider in the class, and doing something which stands out like that would inevitably put suspicion on me. There's no benefit in me doing something so bold yet so meaningless."

"Wait. Does that mean..." I racked my brain. Who, then, burned the manual? Whatever Ibuki said right now made perfect sense. There's no point in her burning the manual. As the image of the person who I thought was responsible started to clear up in my head...

Thunk!

I felt a light instrument hit me on the side of my head, and I fell to the ground, whimpering in pain, clutching my head. The next moment, I saw a leg reaching out towards my face, and I closed my eyes.

There was a terrible pain, and I dropped down to the floor, unable to comprehend anything going on outside. I saw Ibuki's distorted figure in front of me, and my eyes slipped down, closing and welcoming the darkness.

(Day 6; 6:05pm; Ibuki, Mio POV)

I looked down at the unconscious girl who laid down at my feet. I wiped the sweat of my brows, which had gathered despite the cool and wet atmosphere. It had been a while since I had experienced fighting such a strong opponent. This fight could have gone either way if she had not been sick.

I dug up the spot I had buried my items in beneath the tree. I felt my hand hit something hard, and I uncovered the transceiver and flashlight that had been kept in a vinyl bag. I felt something off. Was this the same way I had kept the bag? It was suspicious. Was it due to the rain?

No, I was overthinking it. I snatched the vinyl bag and headed down the trail deeper into the forest, leaving Horikita behind. I walked a bit, reaching a small clearing, not more than 1m wide, and I saw a light in front of me. It blinked 2 times, 3 times, just like Morse Code. I took out my own flashlight from the vinyl bag, and responded with the same signal. The bushes in front of me wavered a bit, and I saw an irritating face that I didn't want to see. Ryuuen appeared.

"Yo, Ibuki. Good work."

"Naturally, yes?"

"Naturally? If you hadn't made that mistake, I wouldn't have had to risk coming out over here."

"It wasn't my fault that the digital camera broke. It was an accident."

If the camera hadn't broken, I would have taken a picture of the Keycard and that would be the end of it. I wouldn't have had to run the high risk of stealing the Keycard itself. It led to Horikita discovering me.

"Do you have the card?"

"Yes. It's here."

Ryuuen took the card from my hand, and shined his flashlight on it. The name ' Keisuke Takeyama' was clearly engraved on it.

"You come over here and confirm it too. There's no one around. Relax, it's dark, and the weather sucks ass. There's no one here."

From the bushes, a man, Katsuragi from Class A, appeared. Ryuuen had said that he would coax Class A into helping us in this situation. But how in the world had he pulled it off against someone as paranoid as Katsuragi?

Katsuragi took the card from Ryuuen's hand, and carefully went over it. In this island, there was no way to even make a fake. Why was he being so cautious? Weirdo.

"Looks like this is the real thing. How did you infiltrate the class? Did nobody suspect you?"

"Well, I do my things my way. As for how, it's a trade secret.

"You know, rumors have been spreading rather fast that you're an incapable leader, ever since you got rejected by the Student Council," Ryuuen licked his lips as if he were looking at his dinner. "This might be the chance for you to finally gain control over the class that is slowly coming to distrust you."

"Bastard. Why are you telling me this now?" Katsuragi snapped.

"Because you are slowly losing control over the class. Class A has another potential leader in Sakayanagi Arisu. Class A consolidates its position by making alliances. I wonder what will happen if you reject my proposal now?" Katsuragi had signed a contract with the devil.

"She is absent. A leader who cannot be there while taking decisions is not a capable leader."

"I agree to your contract," saying so, Katsuragi raised his right arm. Ryuuen simply smiled.

"I don't want to stay here any longer. I want to get going. We do not know who could be watching," Katsuragi said, and he left and walked behind the bushes.

Ryuuen simply stood there, smiling at his eminent victory. I hated him; he had punched me in the face and threw me out of the class. Yes, all the hatred that I felt towards him was real. But that was the reason that Class D was not able to find out my true intentions. If I did not have the injury on my face, I don't think it would have been this believable.

I slowly got up, and wiped off the fingerprints on the Keycard. I placed them back in Horikita's hand, who was still lying unconscious on the ground. Poor girl, I thought. She had no choice but to stay silent as she consumes the fact that their leader was found out by not one, but 2 other classes.

We quietly disappeared into the woods.

(Day 6; 7:23pm; Horikita, Suzune POV)

It's... good... to lie down... not get up... I felt at peace... tranquil...

I slowly opened my eyes. I couldn't see anything too well, but I could make out those bangs and brown hair.

"A-Ayanokoji-kun? How... ?"

"Shh. Don't speak. You're not in the condition to."

He was right. I was definitely not in a condition to. I sighed a little, and I could feel the pain in my legs, and a throbbing sensation in my head. Then suddenly, everything dawned back upon me.

"A-A-Ayanokoji-kun, the k-keycard, I'm sorry, I'm so u-useless... "

"There's no point in telling me that. Tell that to Takeyama-kun. You must rest now. I'm taking you to the beach."

"No, I c-cannot retire now. We've come too far to lose another 30 Points. We'll lose out on so many Points anyways. It's my fault, it's all my fault... " The guilt weighed down on me, chipping away at the last remaining bit of sanity I had left. Then, I felt a strong surface against my head. I closed my eyes, and enjoyed the warmth while it lasted, as Ayanokoji-kun hugged me closer to his body.

"I'm w-weak. I can't do anything alone... "

"I'm glad you understand that, Horikita. You need allies. You cannot do it alone. Let me help you."

"I c-cannot burden you with my problems, Ayanokoji-kun... "

"Shh. Quiet."

I felt a reassuring warmth come over me, and I slowly closed my eyes again, giving in to the fear and guilt resonating in my heart.

(Day 7; 8:00am; Takeyama, Keisuke POV)

August 7. The day the results of the Deserted Island Special Test Results would be announced. All classes had already assembled on the beach in front of the makeshift podium, on which Mahima-sensei, homeroom teacher of Class A, stood, with a loudspeaker in his hands.

I was standing with Chiaki on the beach, and I took a lemonade from the stand that had been put up for all students to finally ease out and relax a bit, after the grueling survival session. The lemonade tasted so much better after a week's worth of almost no food.

"Hmm, stuff tastes soo good if you don't have it for so long, right?" Chiaki said, looking at me slyly.

"It does," I said. "It tastes unusually sour."

"That's because we've been basically living on fruits and vegetables throughout the entire week!" Chiaki said playfully, and poked me on my ribs rather hard.

"Ow — the hell?" She simply snickered to herself, as though she had just cracked the world's funniest joke.

I looked around the area we were currently in. Except Class C, all classes had already arrived. Bur before Mashima-sensei could begin the announcements, Ryuuen Kakeru emerged from the thickets, covered in soil and mud, and laughed as he made a grand entrance.

All classes went abuzz as to how Ryuuen was still in the exam.

"Wait, I thought Class C retired!" Sudo ejected angrily.

"Hey there, idiots," Ryuuen said, as he walked towards Class D. "Hmm, where's Suzune? I thought she was in this class?"

"Horikita-san has retired from the test," Hirata said, looking at Ryuuen.

"Who're you? And she retired? What a pain. I was dreaming of squeezing her bottom."

Sudo grabbed Ryuuen's collar. "Watch what you say, jerk!"

"Huh? What's with you? Getting all excited with yourself, huh?" Ryuuen sneered.

Hirata, who had noticed fists were about to fly, quickly stepped in and played mediator. Just then, we heard an audible click of a megaphone. Mashima-sensei started speaking.

"Over this past week, we, your teachers, have closely watched your efforts in this survival test. There were some students who took this challenge honestly, head on. There were others who devised several strategies to win. Overall, the the results were splendid. Great work."

"Well then, let's get straight to the point. Here are the results of the Deserted Island Special Test. We will not accept any questions regarding the results. You must face the results, and take them head on."

"I think we did fine, we have 125 Points left," Hirata said.

"Bah. 125 Points. What a joke," Ryuuen pretended to vomit.

"What the hell? You Class C bastards will be still on zero Points, you know?" Sudo spoke up.

"Have you forgotten the additional rules of this exam? We can expose the Class Leaders. I've already written down the Leader of Class D on the clipboard that was passed around this morning. Class A and B know it, as well."

Sudo's face showed visible panic, and Ryuuen turned slightly to look at me, and gave me an audacious grin. I kept quiet, and faced the front. Hirata tried to not show any expression.

"In last place, there is Class C, with zero Points"

"Bwa ha ha! You guys came in last place! Suck it!" Sudo screamed, clutching his stomach in laughter. Ryuuen didn't seem to understand the situation.

"In third place is Class A, with 120 Points. In second place, Class B, with 140 Points. And in first place," Mashima-sensei slightly stiffened, but resumed. "Is Class D, with 225 Points. This concludes the announcement of the results."

Class D students gathered around Hirata, all confused and excited at the same time.

"Wait, wait, wait! What happened!? I don't understand what's going on!" Ike screamed at the top of his lungs.

"I'll explain everything. Let's all head back to the ship now," with these words, Hirata comfortably postponed the topic until later. There were several shouts centered around Class A, and Katsuragi was in the middle of all of it, his face as calm and stoic as ever.

"You're kidding me," Chiaki whispered beside me. "What in the world did you do?"

"Nothing, really," I shrugged. "I was expecting more Points, though. We could have gotten more."

Chiaki widened her eyes in surprise. "More? We could have got more than 225?"

"No. Let me rephrase. We could have widened the gap more. It was only a 50-50 chance though."

"I don't understand what you mean by that. It's the same thing right? Getting more Points or widening the gap?"

"No, it's not. Think about it. I'll fill you in later," with that, I headed out into the ship, stretching out into the morning horizon.

A/N's:

Phew. It's over. The Island Exam Arc is almost over. There's still the explanation and stuff remaining, but if I included that in this chapter as well, I wouldn't be able to complete it on time, and it would have made the chapter unnecessarily long. So I decided to leave that for the next one.

Thank you for reading, cheers.

Chapter 20 - Deserted Island Special Test, Finale

I boarded the ship, and was greeted by the haughty sight of Rokusuke Kouenji sitting back on a chair, his skin and hair completely smooth and glistening in the morning sun.

"Good morning, handsome-existence-kun," Kouenji said. "Fancy meeting you here."

"Kouenji, you sick bastard!" Ike shouted out. "Why did you retire!?"

"Calm down, little boy Ike," Kouenji said, as he laughed. "I retired because I was merely in poor health. I was resting. I had no other choice."

It was very clear that the only reason Kouenji retired was just to get himself tanned in the sun. While the rest of the boys ganged up and started shouting at Kouenji, Horikita appeared. She had retired from the Island Exam right on the last day, if I wasn't wrong. She looked pale, and everyone immediately noticed her presence, and gathered around her.

"S-Suzune, are you alright?" Sudo asked. He had finally called the ice queen by her first name itself.

"I'm not too bad. I can't say I'm back in full health. Retiring was a big mistake on my part."

"Don't worry about it." Horikita had not said anything to Sudo, who had called her by her first name. That was unexpected.

"Also, Sudo-kun, don't go calling me around by my first name so casually. Understand?"

Or not. All Sudo could do was nod. "By the way, how did we even come first? I don't understand at all!" Karuizawa-san stated, and everyone in class nodded along with her.

"Before that, Karuizawa-san, isn't there something that must be told to Horikita-san?" Hirata gently reminded her.

"Um, yeah, right."

Karuizawa approached Horikita, who had closed her eyes. Horikita had lectured and reprimanded her before for selfishly using up Points, but she had retired, and had cost the Class 30 whole Points. Horikita braced herself for the abuse that was coming her way.

"I-I'm sorry."

Horikita stood there, surprised, unable to comprehend the reason behind the sorry. It was blunt, but a sincere apology.

"Ibuki-san stole my underwear. Ayanokoji-kun told us everything."

"Huh?"

"Horikita-san, when you suspected Ibuki-san of being a thief, you questioned her and that's the reason she ran away right? And that's also the reason you collapsed and fell sick... " Horikita turned to incredulously look towards both me and Ayanokoji, her gaze flickering between the two of us.

"I heard about it from Hirata-kun first... that you discovered the identities of the Leaders from Class A and C. That's why we have so many Points... I-I'm sorry for everything, Horikita-san," saying so, Karuizawa returned back to her group of girls.

"W-Wait a minute... you said I found out the class Leaders... but I had already retired," Horikita pressed her case.

"You don't have to be so humble, Horikita-san. We won because your answers were absolutely correct." The test results made sense to everyone except her, it seems.

"Wait, Ayanokoji-kun, Takeyama-kun, what did you both do... ?" Horikita called out for me and Ayanokoji, but being the center of attention of the class now, she was swarmed by classmates from all sides, congratulating her on the victory.

(August 7; 9:43am; Ayanokoji, Kiyotaka POV)

"May I have a word with you?"

"I'm rather tired right now, Chabashira-sensei. Maybe another time."

"If you really don't want to, I can just start talking here. You don't mind if we stand outside, do you?"

"It's hot, so please keep it brief." We walked over to a quite place in the midst of the ship, where no one could here us speak.

"I assume you're fine with the results, sensei?" I asked.

"Yes. First, I'd like to say that you did a wonderful job. I'm honestly impressed."

"I didn't do everything, and that is the truth."

"I know. Takeyama-kun was also orchestrating and pulling the strings behind the scenes, wasn't he? I know already."

"How would you know? There's no way you would know anything about this exam unless you have already spoken with him."

"I have, in fact. Right at the beginning of the exam. I have had the pleasure of informing him that I would have him expelled if he did not help me reach Class A. Again, this trick does wonders."

"You're very evil, sensei. Casually wielding expulsion as a threat to make students help you in your selfish endeavors."

"Indeed I am. But I think that comes along with the authorities of being a teacher."

"So is it really true? Did he demand I be expelled from this school?" When Chabashira-sensei did not respond, I continued. "Do you have any basis for saying that the story is true?"

"Most teachers do not know of your true abilities. I know a lot about you. Might not that be enough reason? I am sure of it."

"I'm sure you've heard of this rather famous myth, The Wings of Icarus?" Chabashira-sensei continued.

"Why do you bring that up?"

"Icarus flew out of the tower where he was imprisoned in order to gain his freedom. However, that wasn't achieved through one person's abilities alone. It was because his father, Daedalus, had constructed the wings and ordered him to fly. He didn't fly because of his own intentions. Don't you think that sounds exactly like your current predicament?"

"I fail to understand."

"That man — no, your father — said this: 'Sooner or later, Kiyotaka will gladly chase the means of expulsion from his school.' You're welcoming your end, much like how Icarus fell into the sea and died after his wings had burned, for he had flown too close to the sun. So, what do you plan to do? "

"You should know, sensei. Icarus did not heed Daedalus' warning. Even though he burned, Icarus flew as high as he could in search of freedom."

_

(August 7; 6:07pm; Keisuke Takeyama POV)

I had taken a rather long nap, and the bed in my room felt absolutely first class, considering that we had been sleeping on the hard ground of the island lately. I grumbled, and noticed several missed calls on my phone, all from Horikita. There was a message from her, asking me to come meet her at the deck at 7pm. I had a message from Chiaki as well, who demanded that she wanted an explanation as to what happened behind the scenes on the island. I texted back saying I would explain everything clearly to her during dinner, and I proceeded to make my way out of the room towards the deck. Ayanokoji, Hirata and Sudo were my other roommates, and I noticed that Ayanokoji wasn't in the room, while Hirata and Sudo were fast asleep. I quietly dressed up and made my way out of the room, making sure not to wake anyone up.

I walked through the hallways of the cruise liner, occasionally looking out of the window, marveling at the beauty of the ocean. The ocean looks much prettier at night, don't you think?

I made my way past the café, the theatre, and finally reached out into the open, onto the deck. I noticed Horikita standing there already, along with Ayanokoji. They had got a drink for themselves. I approached them.

"Good evening, Horikita-san, Ayanokoji-kun," I said nonchalantly. "Mind if I join in?"

"I want you to join in. I need an explanation as to what happened. Ayanokoji-kun says that you were the one responsible for all this. Is that true?" Horikita fired a question at me before I could even sit down.

"No, it is not," I said, and Horikita furrowed her eyes, while Ayanokoji remained emotionless. "I accept that I was definitely a part of the plan, but I had no contact with Ayanokoji-kun whatsoever during our time on the island. We were working independently, but it looks like both of us were almost thinking of the same thing. Almost."

"I need to hear the entire story. Explain right now," Horikita said. I called out to one of the waiters, and ordered a cranberry mocktail, and proceeded to take a seat.

"Alright. Where do you want me to start?"

"From the very beginning."

A/N's:

I am extremely sorry for this. The conversation that will follow could get a bit confusing, since there's a lot of dialogue and 3 people talking at once. So after every dialogue there is a letter in a bracket [A, [K, [H] which indicates the person who just spoke. Just to make it a bit easier to read. (Ayanokoji, Keisuke, Horikita)

"Alright. I will tell you. But I do not know the entire details. Ayanokoji-kun did some stuff as well, which I can only speculate on."[K]

"Yes, that's true," Ayanokoji joined in. "But Horikita, I will say this only if you promise to keep quiet about it. I cannot compromise on that."[A]

"That is acceptable. I agree," Horikita said.[H]

"When the test was announced, I did not pay attention to anything except for the additional rules. I understood that there was no way an individual of a class can freely manipulate the Points that were given."[A]

"But weren't the additional rules very hard to understand? If you did things normally, you wouldn't have been able to identify the leaders right?"[H]

"Yes. First of all, I joined the search party to scout out for Spots on the island beforehand. I planned out Spot locations ahead of everyone else."[A]

"You make it sound simple, but no one should have known the Spot locations."[H]

"No, there was a way to identify the Spots beforehand. The school had given us hints about the Spots when we were touring around the Island at an abnormally high speed. Did you notice it too, Ayanokoji-kun?"[K]

"Yes, I did. Don't blame yourself for not noticing it, Horikita. You were holed up in your room sick, so you wouldn't have heard the announcement or noticed." [A]

"Wait, you were sick from the beginning of the exam?" I asked. I hadn't known that. I could have made a better plan if I knew about this.[K]

"We're deviating from the point," Ayanokoji said. "Then, I reached the cave. I felt it was the most important Spot on the island."[A]

"Why would the cave be more important than something like our Spot, like next to a river, or a well?" Horikita asked.[H]

"No, not the Spot itself, but the location. The location was important. There was a hut and a tower nearby, which would be perfect for exercising control over the area."[A]

I hadn't made my way to the tower or the hut during the exam, since I was sure Class A students would already be there. There was no point in entering a Spot which was bound to be occupied. It would only bring more suspicion on myself and trouble.

"But what advantage would there be for us if we go into the cave without the intention of occupying it?" Horikita asked.[H]

"I did not return empty-handed. When Sakura and I had found the cave, I noticed Katsuragi clutching the Keycard in his hand."[A]

"Well, I suppose Katsuragi was careless."[H]

"No, that isn't it," Ayanokoji continued. "Remember the other guy who stopped us from entering the cave before? Yahiko? He was the leader, not Katsuragi."[A]

"But since Katsuragi was holding the Keycard, wouldn't you have mistaken Katsuragi as the leader instead?"[H]

"Do you really think Katsuragi would be so careless as to reveal the Keycard in his hand if he were the leader? No. Katsuragi is an extremely cautious man. In other words, he wouldn't have occupied the cave without bringing in adequate reinforcements, in this case, more people from his class. Yet there were only 2 people at the cave during its occupation. That means the person who occupied the cave was enticed by short-sighted greed."[A]

Slow down, Ayanokoji. Horikita probably can't understand shit.

"So in the end, Class A was holding down 2 Spots, one the cave, and another supplementary Spot which was being used as a Point churner. There was no use in looking at the other Spot, since they would lose all their bonus Points anyways if we guess their leader right. So I left Class A at that."[A]

"Their class appears perfect at first glance, but there is a wide schism in it — a civil war of sorts. Class A lacks unity even more than Class D."[K]

"That's why I left Class A as it was, and turned my attention to Class C. Ryuuen was more unpredictable by far, and it made making confirming decisions very hard. In fact, he was getting in more information than me. He had figured out the leaders of all the other classes."[A]

"Wait... he had found out not only Class D, but Classes A and B as well? But they ended up with zero Points, and we came in first with almost no penalties. How do you intend to explain that?"[H]

"That is difficult to answer, because I wasn't directly involved in it. I think Takeyama can provide a more satisfactory answer to that question. But here, something that could solve the crisis, I guess."[A] With that, Ayanokoji took out the Keycard that he kept in his pocket and showed it to everyone.

The name ' Keisuke Takeyama' was clearly engraved on it.

Horikita turned her head towards me, confused. "I don't understand. You still are the leader, and Class C definitely figured it out. How then... ?"[H]

"Well, it was a very long drawn out process. But I guess this should explain it."[K] Saying so, I put my hand into my pocket and took out the answer to her question.

Horikita stared at my hand, eyes wide in shock. Ayanokoji also had lifted his eyebrows. He probably did not expect this. Or maybe he did. I can never read this person.

In my hand was another Keycard, with the name ' Horikita Suzune' engraved on it.

"What... ? I don't understand... how... ?" Horikita had no words to express herself. "I... was the leader?"[H]

"Yes, you were the leader right from the beginning."[K]

"Wait, why do you have 2 cards? Is that even allowed?"[H]

"Was there a rule that stated that it isn't allowed?"[K]

"Well, no... but, isn't it kind of self-explanatory? That 2 keycards is not possible?"[H]

"It is not guaranteed. I just took advantage of the loophole in the rules of the test. Private Points can take you a far way in getting things done in this school. It is much, much more important than just being a source of monetary exchange."[K]

"Wait, so that means... "[H]

"You were the Leader of Class D. When I was on the beach issuing my Keycard, I had made you the Leader instead of me. I then paid Chabashira-sensei 30,000 Points to obtain a second Keycard with my name stamped on it, as a decoy. I always kept the original Keycard with your name hidden from everyone in Class. I only took it out while occupying Spots. Of course, I gave you guys the fake Keycard when we were disguising the Leader among ourselves, so you wouldn't accidentally see the name."[K]

"Wait, but why did you even give me the Keycard in the first place? You knew Ibuki-san was a spy, right? So you could have just protected the Keycard until the very end."[H]

"Unfortunately, Horikita-san, I'm not as good-natured as I'm made out to be. One of the aims of this special test was to gain Points for yourself. Another significant aim that many people hadn't caught on to was that you must able to reduce the Points of other classes."[K]

"So you mean... "[H]

"The reason I gave you my Keycard was because I wanted it to get stolen. I wanted Ibuki-san to notice the Keycard on you, I wanted her to steal it, and I wanted her to think that she had acquired definitive proof that ' Keisuke Takeyama' was the real leader. I was able to drastically reduce Class A and C's Points with this tactic."[K]

"So you used a purely offensive strategy by trying to reduce the other class Points, while Ayanokoji was on the defensive, trying to gain Points for us by guessing the Leaders... "[H]

"Wait, so was the disguise a sort of double barrier for spies from outside? Now that we had 2 Keycards?"[H]

"Precisely. However, there is a fundamental flaw with that technique of hiding the Leader. The checkpoint always lights up when you occupy it, so irrespective of who swipes the card, if someone were to spy on us from above, say a tree, then it would become obvious who had actually swiped the card on the machine. Unfortunately, crowds do not protect us from an aerial assault."[K]

"That does make sense, now that you say it. But isn't it against the rules for someone other than the Leader to use the Keycard?"[H]

"It is. But there is one major fundamental flaw with this exam, and that is that there's no point of following the rules."[K]

"No point of... following the rules?"[H]

"Who would know that I really am not the Leader? The only people who know in our entire year are the 2 of you, Hirata and Chiaki, all from Class 1-D. There would be no point in following the rules because there are no repercussions that are strictly mentioned. Which means as long as no one finds out that you broke the rules, you can break the rules. Even Ibuki used the same logic when she used violence against you."[K]

"Hirata and Matsushita-san know abou- W-Wait!" Horikita had finally caught onto it. "How do you know that Ibuki used violence against me? Were you there when it happened?"[H]

"To answer your first question, no, not in detail. Hirata only knows that you were really the Leader. That's basically it. I did not divulge any other information, as I deemed it unnecessary. I haven't told Chiaki anything yet. She knows I was behind it, but she doesn't know about Ayanokoji's involvement. Should I tell her, Ayanokoji?"[K]

"No. I would prefer that not many people know about my involvement. I don't like drawing unnecessary attention to myself."[A]

"Well, that's that. And for your second question, yes, I was there, hiding behind the trees, right next to the tree with the handkerchief tied on it. I was there, and I witnessed the entire fight. I knew Ayanokoji was going to come soon, so I decided to leave you there until then. I, instead, followed Ibuki to her meeting with Katsuragi and Ryuuen."[K]

"Katsuragi?" Horikita wondered aloud. "Why was Katsuragi there?"[H]

"That is something that I can only make an assumption on, but I'm sure that Class A and Class C have struck some sort of deal. I do not know the particulars, though."[K]

"Class A and C... are in an alliance?"[H] Ayanokoji also bent forward to listen in to this part.

"Yes, I am sure about it. Think about the results that were announced today morning. Did you not notice anything strange about it? Also, Ibuki belongs to Class C. Don't you think it's weird that Ibuki had to steal the keycard, just to prove to Ryuuen that she had found out Class D's leader? Why would Ryuuen not trust his own classmate?"[K]

"Besides, Ibuki had a digital camera in her bag. I had gone through it at the dead of night, and had destroyed it so that she had to take the keycard itself to give solid evidence to Katsuragi about Class D's Leader." [A]

"There are many things that still don't add up. How did you know that Ryuuen was still on the island? And how did you know that he was the Leader of Class C?"[H]

"The day that we had our short talk with Ryuuen on the beach, there was a radio transceiver kept on the table right next to him. I had already located Ibuki's spot before, and digging into the already-excavated soil, I found a vinyl bag, which contained another transceiver and a flashlight. The transceiver proved that Ryuuen was still somewhere on the island, giving instructions to Ibuki, and the other spy that had been sent to Class B. The only problem with Ryuuen is that he doesn't trust anybody, and that led to his downfall in this exam."[A]

"About the Points announced today morning, Horikita... did you see anything interesting?"[K]

"Now that you say it, if Class D had guessed Class A's leader correctly, and Class A had incorrectly guessed Class D's Leader, then that would lead to a loss of 100 Points, and all the bonus points that they had accumulated over the week. So they should essentially have... "[H] Horikita furrowed her eyes, and tried to think.

"I don't get it. The calculations don't add up. Class A should end up with much less than 120 Points, considering that they definitely had to buy some essentials, like tents, cookware, and the like. But they have more Points than that?"[H]

"This is the contract that Ryuuen and Katsuragi were talking about. Ryuuen had Class C pay for all of Class A's expenses, in return for something that I'm not really sure about. Class A had all their purchases made by Class C. These essentials that you're talking about? — tents, cookware — they were all purchased by Class C."[K]

"My god... I don't even have the words," Horikita answered, now that the gist of the situation had been laid bare.[H]

"Well, there's another strategy that I implemented, but it was a risky one, and held a 50-50 chance of being successful," I said.[K]

"Another strategy?"[H]

"I'm not too proud of it. It was an indirect attack on Class B."[K]

"Class B? You tried to do something to Class B as well? We were in an alliance, right?"[H]

"As I said, it was an indirect but simple strategy. During our first meeting with Class B, you must have noticed that Kanzaki-kun and Ichinose-san have differing viewpoints on how they want to run the class."[K]

"Differing viewpoints? But they get along so well... "[H]

"It's not about getting along well," Ayanokoji continued in my stead. "Ichinose-san always plays a fair, righteous game, even when faced against overwhelming odds. She does not even think about using any underhanded strategy to face her opponents. Kanzaki-kun, however, is not against using slightly underhanded tactics to achieve his goal. In other words, Kanzaki-kun only partly agrees with Ichinose's ideals."[A]

"I don't see where this is headed."[H]

"During our first meeting with Class B, Kanzaki-kun was the only person who was against us entering the camp. I had purposely let out our true intention of coming to Class B's camp, which was to actually gather information, to both Ichinose and Kanzaki, to gauge their reactions. Ichinose did not say anything, but Kanzaki was suddenly on alert. All I had to do was give Kanzaki an opportunity to show his more offensive side to Class B."[K]

"Wait, so... "[H]

"During our second meeting with Class B, before visiting, I had slightly pulled my Keycard out of my pocket, and then kept it that way, to fool Kanzaki into thinking that I was in current possession of the Keycard. I was hoping for Class B to write down my name as a Leader guess, but it looks like they did not write any name on the paper. It was a risk worth taking. Class B would have been reeling at 90 Points if they had guessed me as Leader."[K]

"Wait, so you tried to fool Kanzaki-kun into thinking you were the Leader, hoping he would guess your name? Why did you do it? If Kanzaki-kun had really written down your name, then it would have led to strained relations between Class B and D. We cannot afford to lose the only alliance that we have."[H]

"And whose fault would the strained relation be?" I pressed. "Class D did not make any guess for Class B's Leader, and neither did we bother searching for them. Class B would want this alliance with Class D to flourish as well, knowing very well that Ichinose is at the helm. Class B would owe Class D an unconditional favor for trying to betray us. It would be very handy down the line. Also, Kanzaki's position as the Leader of the class would take a massive hit, seeing that he was the reason that they now have a screwed up relation with Class D, and 50 lesser Class Points. It's 2 birds with 1 stone."[K]

Horikita stayed silent after this explanation, and closed her eyes, trying to process all the information that the 2 of us had just dumped on her. I took a small sip out of my mojito, and looked out into the vast ocean. A truly mesmerizing view.

"I don't like it. I don't like it at all. Both of you used me completely like a pawn."[H]

"Yes, I understand. I would not be surprised if you never wanted to talk to me again. Anyways, I'm tired. I want to go to my room and rest a bit." [A] Saying so, Ayanokoji got up from his seat, and made his way towards the cabins. I had spent quite some time here as well, so I decided to leave too.

"Wait. We're not done talking."[H]

"Like what?"[A]

"Ayanokoji-kun, you said to me right when we joined school that you disliked trouble. You have, however, gone out of your way to help the Class with such daring tactics. What is your motive?"[H]

"I wonder."[A]

"I don't have any room for doubt. Both of you are extremely talented. If you both help me, then reaching Class A will definitely not be a dream anymore. But what are your principles? Why do you do this?"[H]

"I do it because I want to, same goes for Takeyama," Ayanokoji-kun answered for me as well. "I was touched that you were trying so hard even when you were ill."[A]

"That is definitely not the reason."[H]

"I said that because I don't want to give out the real reason. Fair enough?"[A] Ayanokoji stretched out his hand.

"I do not mind helping you to reach Class A. However, I have one condition. Do not investigate me. If you promise not to touch this subject anymore, I will help you in achieving your goal."[A]

Horikita took Ayanokoji's hand and shook it, a firm handshake.

"Aren't you gonna help me too?"[H]

"What? Me too?"[K]

"Yes. I believe your cooperation would be as much necessary as Ayanokoji-kun's is. Help me, Takeyama-kun."[H] Saying so, Horikita stretched out her right arm towards me this time, and I took it with a firm grasp.

The battle to raise our Class from the very bottom was just about to begin.

(August 7; 8:47pm; Ayanokoji, Kiyotaka POV)

I stood on the deck, feeling the refreshing wind on my face. I was soon joined by Takeyama-kun to my left. He looked over into the ocean, his eyes glistening in the moonlight. A splendidly handsome man indeed.

"Looks like we're working together now," he started. "I wonder why you hide your talents?"

"I don't like standing out. I want to lead a normal school life. That is all."

"Did you not have a normal school life before this? Why do you ask for one now?"

I must mind my mouth around Takeyama. For all I know, he is very perceptive, almost on my level. I cannot unnecessarily say anything that would threaten to disclose my past.

"Sorry," Takeyama said. "I don't want to poke into your past. We all have something that we don't want others to know about. If you don't want to tell anyone about it, it is worth hiding." Even though he had asked an insensitive question, he had skillfully maneuvered the conversation around, and had apologized. I must learn how to do these sort of things from Takeyama.

"Did she threaten you too?" I asked.

Takeyama did not answer for a while, and sighed. "Yes, she did. I really wasn't expecting a teacher out of all people to act this way. However, I cannot take expulsion lightly. I have come too far to be expelled due to a reason that I could have avoided."

"Do you think she really can expel us? It seems unlikely," I said.

"It does seem unlikely. A teacher usually does not wield this much power. However, everything in this school is rather strange, don't you think? I cannot discount the possibility that she is saying the truth."

"It seems we were thinking on the same lines." And we fell into a comfortable silence once again.

I stared out into the horizon for a few more minutes, before coming to my senses. "I think I must go back," I said. "I've stayed here far too long. I'm tired."

"I agree. I think we must leave. Thank you Ayanokoji-kun, for trusting me."

"Likewise. Good night."

"Good night."

Takeyama turned to leave, and he disappeared around the corner, into the guest cabins. I watched the man's back as he turned to leave.

I wonder if I trusted him.

No, I did not.

Because trusting anyone is futile.

Right now, Takeyama, Horikita, I'll tell you one thing. I have never trusted you. I do not think of you as a classmate, or a friend. In this world, winning is everything. Your methods don't matter. I don't care what I have to sacrifice. As long as I have my victory in the end, I'll be fine.

You, Hirata, Horikita — no, all other people are nothing but tools. I was complicit in what drove you to do this. So don't blame yourself for what happened, Horikita. You were useful to me.

_

(August 7; 8:49pm; Takeyama, Keisuke POV)

I slowly walked back to my room, and closed the door behind me, keeping it unlocked for Ayanokoji-kun to enter in later. I noticed Sudo and Hirata sleeping, and I opened the window to let in some fresh ocean air.

Trust, uh?

I looked at Hirata once again, and thought of Ayanokoji, still holed up outside on the deck.

Do I really trust both of them?

I don't think so.

Hirata, Ayanokoji— you are gravely mistaken. I never trusted any of you. In this world, you cannot trust anyone. Everyone is just a tissue paper— use, and throw. Everyone is a tool, an item which will allow me to ascend higher. And tools will always break, and they will always need to be replaced sooner or later.

Tools must be used at the right times. You cannot use a screwdriver to beat an egg. You cannot use a beater to drive in a screw.

They will break if you try.

Horikita, you called me a defect on the island, and I hated it. I'm someone who will forgive easily, but remember one thing— in this class, you are the most defective student there is. Your entire existence is nothing but a burden. However, you are slowly proving yourself, Horikita... proving yourself to be a rather useful tool.

The only thing that I care about is winning. It does not matter what needs to be sacrificed. It does not matter what needs to be lost. As long as I win,

That's all that matters.

_

A/N's:

Guys, it's done. The entire island arc is over, and we have officially covered up everything that the anime had for us. There was a lot of character development, and many new characters introduced in this arc. Thank you for staying with me for so long.

I'm going to take a small break from writing now (by break, I mean probably 3-4 days just to gather my thoughts and ideas about the next arc). I'll try to update next by around this Sunday. As always, go ahead and vote, it really helps me reach this fic out. Thank you for reading, and cheers.

Chapter 21 - No Break

The next 3 days on the cruise liner were fun, to say the least. I had the chance to interact with several members of the opposite sex, and in the process, had also strained the relation that I possessed with some of the boys in the class. By some of the boys, I meant Ike, Yamauchi and Sotomura. But to be blatantly honest, I didn't even know who Sotomura was until yesterday when the trio arrived and tried to lecture me on the importance of something along the lines of 'bros before hoes'.

Today, the third day, I had decided to actually hang out with the guys for once. Me and Hirata have not had a chance to speak to each other properly ever since the island exam. Even though we both resided in the same guest cabin, whenever either of us made it back to the room, the other would either be absent, or asleep.

This morning, I had an appointment with Hirata, and another with Chiaki in the afternoon. There was a certain rumor that had enveloped the grade, which involved me and Chiaki in some sort of romantic relationship. I had heard some of the Class D girls whisper about it, but it looks like it was prevalent even in the other classes from A to C. Though it did not bother me in the slightest, I wondered how Chiaki felt about it. She probably did not feel good being paired up with me in a lewd way. I had to clear up the misunderstanding.

I glanced at my wristwatch. It was 8:30am, and I wasn't supposed to meet Hirata until 12:00 noon at the cruise bar. The bar was an excellent place to have a light-hearted conversation, but it consisted of only a long bench with high stools, so it wasn't very popular among the large friend groups and social circles.

Speaking of which, I despised large friend groups. Not that I wasn't able to mix well, but it just never appealed to me. The concept of a few close friends seemed more logical and mannered compared to many superficial friends. The only people I could really call friends were Hirata, Chiaki, Sudo, and to an extent, Ayanokoji and Horikita.

I had over 3.5 hours to kill, and no place seemed suitable to satiate my boredom now. I decided it would be wiser to retire to my room and take the morning easy. I turned around, only to unexpectedly bump into Kanzaki Ryuji, one of the leaders of Class B. Ichinose Honami was nowhere to be seen around. DAMN IT.

"Fancy meeting you here, Takeyama-kun," Kanzaki started curtly. "Here to enjoy the view of the ocean?"

"I am here precisely for that," I replied. "I assume you are too?"

"More or less. I was planning to go and meet a few friends from Class B."

"You must go on then; I cannot hold you back here. Don't keep them waiting."

"It's alright, there is still time remaining until the scheduled meet. I might as well spend some time by the ocean." Saying so, Kanzaki walked up to my left, and stood beside me, looking out into the ocean.

"I must say, I was very surprised at the results of the Island Exam," Kanzaki said. "I never expected Class D to get so many Points. Congratulations."

"I didn't really do anything, Horikita was the reason we won," I said. "I just did the best I could to protect my identity as Leader. Horikita had found out the identities of all Class Leaders except yours, of course."

"That truly is a marvelous feat. Your Class seems to be in good hands."

"That is true." I looked out silently into the ocean for a while, before turning my attention back to Kanzaki. "Say, Kanzaki-kun, why did Class B not try to guess any Leaders from the other classes? I understand that Class B and D are in an alliance, but what about the others? Classes A and C? Surely you could have tried to identify their Leaders?"

"Class B went in with a thoroughly defensive strategy this time," Kanzaki replied. "We did not guess the Leaders of any other Class because we never tried to find them out either. We could not risk having our Leader's identity thrown out into the open."

"But isn't that countered by the fact that you allowed a student from Class C to stay with you? If you really wanted your class to win, you should have thought of some other offensive tactic to rake in some Points, knowing very well that the Class C student meant more harm than good."

"I cannot disagree to that. Class B might have made a mistake on that note. But doesn't that count for Class D as well? Granted, you managed to identify the Leaders of the other classes, but that was thanks to the handiwork of Horikita-san in your class. When you first visited our camp, I believe that Class D had also gone with a defensive strategy in mind."

"But Class D did not go in with a purely defensive strategy. We incorporated offense into it as well. And as results show, it worked well. You think Class B could have shot up the Point ladder if they had been a bit more aggressive from the start. After all, you guys are the ones closest to Class A at the moment."

Kanzaki stayed silent at my thorough analysis. "Say, Takeyama-kun. Did you figure out Class B's leader as well?"

"Class B? No, we didn't. Weren't we in an alliance? We didn't even try to search for your leader."

"I see. That makes sense," Kanzaki took a pause before continuing. "Don't you think this Special Test was sprung on us with very little time for planning? The results could have been very different if we had more preparation time."

"We don't always get preparation time, do we? Besides, in this school, I've come to understand that you can never prepare for anything that is to come. The number of such Special Tests is sure to go up in the coming months. I wouldn't be surprised if they were rather unfair."

"Unfair? I don't see how it can be unfair."

"I'm talking about it from an academic viewpoint. Suppose the Special Test results was somehow measured by our academic capabilities. It would not be an exaggeration to say that Class D is almost immediately out of the picture in that sort of situation."

"You don't trust your Class at all, do you, Takeyama?" Kanzaki was quick to take a jab at me.

"I wonder. There is difference between trusting the class and knowing the limits of the class. I will gladly help when it will make a difference. But helping just for the sake of helping, knowing that there is no point in doing so, is futile."

"Your ideals are rather interesting. I have a feeling that you won't mix in well with the rest of Class B. We focus majorly on this aspect — unity."

"Please don't get me wrong. It's not that I don't desire unity in Class D. It's just that Class B is together only because they have someone like Ichinose-san leading them."

"That's one point I agree with."

With that, we stared out into the vast ocean ahead of us again. The clock showed 9:00am. Kanzaki bid me farewell, and headed to meet his friends, and I was left alone on the deck once again.

I can't believe it had been only half an hour since I last looked at my wristwatch. Time was proceeding rather slowly today.

I eventually gave up standing on the deck, and decided to go back to my room, which just so happened to be my original idea. Thankfully, I did not run into anyone conspicuous, and I closed the door to my room. I sighed and turned around, only to find Sudo, Ike and Yamauchi sitting on the floor, whispering furiously about something. Well, if Ike was interested, then it definitely had something to do with the girls.

I decided to leave before I was dragged into it.

"So basica-Takeyama!" Sudo shouted out, inevitably roping me into the group. I did not want to be seen with this group; I could already feel my social status drop just by being in their vicinity.

"Oh look, it's Mr. Baller here," Ike murmured sarcastically.

"Hey, wanna join us in our plan?" Yamauchi asked. Plan?

"Hey, I didn't say we could allow him on this! It's only a feast for us poor souls! He gets them everyday, doesn't he?" Ike cried out indignantly, but suddenly calmed down and widened his eyes. What was happening?

"Wait! We could use him as bait! He attracts most of them, after all!" Ike whispered into the group loud enough for me to hear. I saw all their faces light up at once, and I knew that was my cue to leave.

"Wait! You can join in! We'll give you a free premium ticket!" Ike shouted, but I couldn't hear him as I shut the door behind me. So much for going into a room to rest for a bit. I shouldn't have known that wasn't a really wise choice, since Sudo happens to be in my room as well.

My phone suddenly vibrated, and I noticed an unread message from Kushida, saying that she had booked the private pool for everyone in Class D for tomorrow, so we could all have some quality time for ourselves. They booked the private pool? That baby was almost always booked. It surely would have taken quite some time and tries to get their hands on an empty booking slot. Suddenly, everything that the Idiot Trio was talking about back in the guest cabin made perfect sense.

I idled my time away by walking around the ship, and occasionally stopped to look at the various activities everyone indulged themselves in. Over half of the Class D boys were in the arcade, and all the girls were spread out over the ship. I had heard Yamauchi talk about it before during the Deserted Island Test — the different girl groups that apparently existed in the class. Unlike the boys, who didn't really have particular groups, and just usually hung out together, there was the Empress Team, led by Karuizawa, the Friendship Team, led by Kushida, and the Arrogant Team, led by Shinohara. Apparently the groups don't merge and mix unless necessary. It struck me as quite odd.

I glanced at my wristwatch for the umpteenth time— it was 9:30am. You've actually got to be kidding me.

I strolled around the ship for a while, before deciding I was definitely wasting time. I moved over to my favorite spot on the ship— yes, the deck— and continued staring out into the ocean.

"You sure like this place, don't you?" a dreamy voice said.

I turned to find a girl of our year, with long silver hair reaching up to her waist, tied up with 2 black ribbons. She was holding a book in her hand.

"I do like it around here," I said. "It's calm and refreshing."

"I like it too. Whenever I read a book, I always prefer this spot on the ship. It's quiet, peaceful, and calm. It really helps me get in the mood for reading."

"You sure like reading books, don't you? I've seen you here a couple times before."

"Yes, I love them! Do you read books as well?" she asked, her pleading eyes suddenly staring into mine. I didn't have the heart to turn down this girl. She looked just so innocent.

"Yeah, I do," I said. "I've been to the library at school before; it has quite the collection."

"Yes, I really do love the school library. It has such amazing books lined up, and there's so many of them! My goal is to one day finish reading everything there is in the library!"

I softly smiled at her genuine appeal. We talked a bit more, and I learned that her name was Hiyori Shiina, from Class C. It looks like Class C can have nice people in them as well. Our topics ranged from books, to books, to more books. I was honestly impressed at her knowledge in literature; Shiina's passion for literature was unfortunately not shared by anyone in her class, so she often came across as a loner. But someone like me, who had the same taste in books as she had, she had immediately classified me as a close friend. We exchanged our contact numbers, after she forced me to read a book that she mysteriously took out of her bag.

I looked at my wristwatch again. It was 11:45am. Guess it runs faster when you're having a good time.

I made my way to the bar. Hirata had already arrived, and I noticed him ordering drinks, so it shouldn't have been too long. I approached him from behind, and he noticed me take a seat to his left.

"Good afternoon, Yosuke."

"Keisuke! Glad to finally be able to talk to you after so long!" Hirata said, his happiness evident on his face.

I smiled. "Me too, me too. How's everything going?"

"The usual, if I must. Our short stint on the Island garnered quite a lot of attention. It seems the other classes have now started to take Class D seriously. We'll be getting some attention now."

"It looks like it. Horikita-san did a fine job finding out the other class leaders."

"Yes, she indeed did. I'm really happy for her; she comes off as a bit cold, but she is very able, and is more than qualified to lead the class. I'm planning to ask her for her help in leading the class," Hirata mused. "But the idea was definitely yours, Keisuke. You were the one who came up with the idea of making Horikita the leader. I must say I was a bit apprehensive of this strategy at first, since only the designated Leader is allowed to use the keycard, but I might have been unnecessarily straining myself."

I took a sip out of the drink that Hirata had ordered for me. I had to make sure I did not slip up here. Hirata only knows about the real keycard, the one in which Horikita's name was engraved. He did not know about the other one, the counterfeit, the one with my name on it. Right now, the entire class thinks that I remained the Leader until the very end. Hirata thinks that Horikita was the Leader from the very beginning, and that I protected the Keycard with all I had. The entire drama of lending her the keycard and it getting stolen by Ibuki — none of this was known by anyone except Horikita, Ayanokoji and myself.

"Did Horikita-san do everything alone, though?" Hirata suddenly asked me, which shook me from my slumber. "Did she not receive any help?"

What should I say? It would be unnatural to pin the entire thing on Horikita. After all, I was the one who changed the Leader card.

"Maybe not the entire thing. I noticed something suspicious about Class C, so I thought Ryuuen must still remain on the island," I said.

"Suspicious? What do you mean?" Hirata asked me, puzzled.

"Well, it was when we heard that the entire Class C retired. Which would essentially mean that Class C was currently at zero Points, irrespective of whether they used up everything or not, owing to penalties. So Ibuki-san and the other person in Class B could have just retired. It's not like them staying would get them any Points."

Hirata narrowed his eyes and stared at his drink, lost in thought. "I had not thought of that. There would have been no reason for Ibuki-san and Kaneda-kun to continue staying on the island. So you figured that they had an ulterior motive there, right Keisuke?"

"You can say that."

"It's great you were able to catch up on that!" Hirata said, beaming. "You're probably one of the main reasons Horikita-san figured everything out! Thank you!"

"It's no big deal, really," I said, tying my hair back into a bun. "I just whatever I could do to contribute."

Me and Hirata talked about trivial things after that. Honestly, it felt nice having a light hearted conversation with a guy after this long. It felt alien, but in a nice way.

"Do you want to grab lunch along with us?" Hirata said, continuing the conversation.

"Us?"

"Ayanokoji-kun, Karuizawa-san, Shinohara-san and Maezono-san are coming as well. I'd be really happy if you could join us!" Hirata said warmly.

A lunch, eh? Karuizawa-san and the rest were there as well. I could not say that I had a budding friendship with each person that Hirata just mentioned, but I'm lightly acquainted with all of them. Maezono-san is someone who I haven't really talked to much in class, so this could be a good time to get to know her, probably.

But what surprised me was Ayanokoji. He was the type to never accept such lunch offers. Ayanokoji would never accept such an invitation of lunch with an unacquainted group, so I figured that Hirata must have probably coaxed him into coming.

Besides, I feel like Ayanokoji would need some company for the lunch. Maybe I could go.

I accepted Hirata's offer, and we decided to meet up at the second-floor restaurant in 15 minutes.

Ayanokoji looked like the most bored person I'd ever met.

The food at the buffet was really good, to say the least. I was amazed at how much our school was able to provide us students with. The restaurant on the second-floor was the one with usually lesser number of people; the one on the ground floor had more people and rush, partly because this one had a lesser spread. However, it wasn't so less that we would end up hungry even after having our fill; it was more than enough to satisfy my needs.

I was seated in between Ayanokoji and Hirata, and Hirata was surrounded by the girls. Karuizawa, Shinohara, Maezono — 3 girls in the class who I wasn't very close too.

If I really thought about it, I don't really have many people who I could call a friend. Hirata was definitely one of my closer friends, and Chiaki was there too. Everyone else, was however, superficial— I've talked to many people, but I cannot call them my friends. I don't even remember the name of the person who sits behind me in class, even though I think I've talked to her on quite a few occasions. Ayanokoji was probably someone I could call a friend too, I guess.

But there's been one very important piece of information that I was still lacking. And now that Ayanokoji is here, I can finally ask him.

"Hey, Ayanokoji, can I ask you something?"

"Sure. What is it?" he replied.

"Are you and Horikita-san dating?"

Ayanokoji stared at me for a few seconds, surprised at the sudden question. "No, we're not."

"You sure about that?"

"Of course. Our relation is completely business." Business? I couldn't help snicker at that last comment.

"Ano~ T-Takeyama-kun? I think that hairstyle really suits you! You should p-probably put it like that w-way more often!" Maezono-san suddenly interrupted my trailing thoughts.

"Hmm? Oh, thank you, Maezono-san. I was planning to put it up this way, but it gets kinda heavy on my head after a while for some reason," I said honestly.

"Oh, I-I see! Sorry for asking then!" Maezono-san apologized for no reason, a tint of red appearing on her cheeks. Karuizawa and Shinohara were whispering to one another on the other side, and gave Maezono-san reassuring glances. Hirata stared at the 3 girls with a surprised and confused expression.

I felt my phone vibrate at a sudden message, and I pulled it out to check. Soon, everyone's phones on the table gave off a sudden notification, and we were perplexed at the astronomical timings.

"Maybe it's from the school?" Hirata said, pulling his phone towards himself.

"That seems most likely," Ayanokoji replied, while I opened the text message I had received. It indeed was from the school. Soon, there was an announcement on the PA speakers.

' This is an announcement to all students, you will have received a mail to your phones earlier. Check the contents of the mail and follow those instructions closely. If you have not received the mail, please contact your nearest available faculty member. This is a very important announcement so make sure not to miss it. I repeat ~~'

"I don't know why this is giving me such weird vibes," Karuizawa said, scrolling through her phone. "It looks like we have to meet up at room 204 at 18:00 today. It's another special exam!? But we just had one!"

"Wait, but mine says room 209, and gathering time at 20:20 today? Is it different for all of us?" Maezono wondered.

"Looks like it," Hirata said. He had got a different room as well. I looked down at my phone. My room number was 206, and meeting time 18:40. It was certainly a very strange set of instructions. I glanced into Ayanokoji's mobile phone.

"Which room did you get?"

"Room 204," Ayanokoji replied. So he was in the same room as Karuizawa. "What about you?"

"Room 206," I replied. "If this is a special exam, then this is definitely much more different than the Island Test. We just had a very physically draining test, they cannot spring one on us so soon."

"Mhm."

I stared at my phone screen, trying to decipher the meaning behind these words. I glanced at my wristwatch again, this time reading 2:40pm. I excused myself from the group, and headed down to meet Chiaki.

I learned that she was put into Room 201, and her meeting time was 17:00, which was exactly an hour before that of Room 204, and an hour and 40 minutes before Room 206. I deduced that every time you increment the Room number by one, the timings increase by 20 minutes. I could not come to a logical explanation as to why.

Nevertheless, I returned to my guest cabin, headed out towards Room 206 at 18:40pm.

A/N's:

Hello everyone, I'm back with the Zodiac Exam this time. Kei Karuizawa finally getting some limelight soon. Thank you for reading, cheers.

Chapter 22 - The Zodiac Exam, Part 1

I stood outside the Room 206, and took in a deep breath. I slowly held the doorknob, and headed into the room.

The room was almost empty, barring 4 tables and a few chairs. The only people who had arrived were Akito Miyake and Nene Mori, both from my class. Mori-san gave me a shy wave as I entered, and I smiled and waved back. Mashima-sensei was also present already, and he motioned for me to come in and take my seat

"Hey," Miyake-kun said as I took my seat between him and Mori-san.

"Hey. Quite the strange gathering we have here."

"Indeed. It's across all the classes. I cannot possibly fathom what is going on."

"All the classes?" I asked, a bit confused.

"Yeah, all classes are apparently gonna be mixed in or something. I'm not really sure."

"It said Special Exam, right? Must be something then."

"But if it is a Special Exam, why have we been segregated into mixed class groups? I cannot make out a reason for this," Miyake reasoned out.

"We'll probably find out soon. Have you been able to talk to anyone in Class who has already attended the meeting? I was sure that there were several Rooms which started their meeting much earlier than ours."

"Unfortunately, no. I'm as clueless as you are," Miyake deadpanned.

I stretched back in my chair and looked around the Room once more, but it was rather boring.

As we waited, the last person trickled into the Room. I noticed Haruka Hasebe enter our Room. She was another girl in our Class, and, if I remember correctly, was voted to have the biggest breasts in class. Now, I wasn't a part of this vote. I just knew the results. I remember Chiaki telling me about how there was a list for ' The Ikemen', for which I had been placed a commendable 4th. There was a ' Most Gloomy Guys', ' Most Nerdy Guys' and ' Guys Who Need To Die' list as well. I did not ask for my placement in those; I was rather sure that I had not made a podium finish in any of those.

Hasebe-san walked over and sat on the chair to Miyake-kun's right. I remember them being rather good friends.

After everyone had gathered in the Room, Class A's homeroom teacher, Mashima-sensei surveyed all of us.

"Looks like everyone is here." He cleared his throat. "Miyake, Hasebe, Mori and Takeyama. I will now explain the rules of this special exam." It was gonna begin.

"In this Special Exam, all first year students will be divided up into groups based on their zodiac signs and the entirety of the examination will be conducted in groups of students sharing the same zodiac sign as the 4 of you here. The purpose of this test is to assess your 'thinking ability'."

Zodiac signs? So there must be 12 total groups in that case. If we were all evenly distributed out through all the groups, then there would be 13 people per group, give or take a few. So Class D itself will be split up into 12 groups of 4? And 3, since we had only 40 students in our class. We would be mixed with these smaller groups from other classes as well. I found this combination interesting.

No one uttered a word, and was intently listening to Mashima-sensei's words. He then continued with the explanation.

"There are 3 required attributes that people who function well in society are required to master — action, thinking, and teamwork. These skills are necessary for you all to become successful adults. The last test on the island tested teamwork quite heavily, however, this one will emphasize your thinking. The ability to critically think, analyze the situation at hand and resolve the problem given will be tested in this exam. The ability to work creatively with imagination and work determinedly towards resolving the problem, such traits will become vital for this task."

Mashima-sensei gave us a very brief monologue on the gist of the exam. He hadn't started explaining the rules yet. Mori-san shifted uncomfortably in her seat, anticipating the next set of instructions.

"Therefore this exam will be conducted in 12 groups split up according to their zodiac signs and the exam will occur under those conditions," Mashima-sensei continued. "Are there any questions?"

"How are the groups decided, sensei?" Miyake asked the first question.

"They were decided on a completely random basis, and no one had any influence on the decision," Mashima-sensei explained. "It was completely random."

"Sensei, you said there were 12 groups, each as one zodiac sign, right?" I intervened. "But there are only the 4 of us here. Does that mean we'll be joining up with other groups to form a bigger group?"

"Precisely. You four here are a part of a single group. There are other groups who are receiving their lectures right now. You will be grouped up with 3 other groups to form a large group of about 13-14 members," Mashima-sensei replied. "Anything else?"

"W-Wait, so does that mean we'll be teaming up with groups from other classes as well?" Mori-san asked quietly. "Aren't they the enemy?"

"Please don't think that way," Mashima-sensei chided. "Right now, your only focus in this exam is to think, and not to understand. The group you are assigned to is the zodiac sign (Snake). Here's a list of all the members assigned to this zodiac. You will be required to return the list when you leave the room, so feel free to memorize the names that are given for future references."

A postcard-sized piece of paper was passed around, which contained all the names of the students who were going to be a part of our group.

-- Class A: Masayoshi Hashimoto, Hayato Kito, Miki Yamamura

-- Class B: Mako Amikura, Sho Shibata, Yuki Himeno

-- Class C: Hiyori Shiina, Takeko Nishino, Daichi Ishizaki

-- Class D: Akito Miyake, Haruka Hasebe, Nene Mori, Keisuke Takeyama

There were quite a few names that I recognized from the list. Sho Shibata from Class B, Hiyori Shiina and Daichi Ishizaki from Class C. I was not acquainted with anyone from Class A, though. It seems we've all been assigned to the Snake Group.

"That's all okay, sensei, but what are the rules of this exam?" Hasebe-san asked.

"I'll be passing around a sheet of paper now, which has all the rules listed on it in a clear and concise fashion. Take a look, and if anyone has any questions, you can ask me." With that, Mashima-sensei passed around another booklet which contained all the rules of the Special Exam. Everyone gathered around Miyake's table to get a good look at them.

"From this point on, you do not belong to Class D. You belong to the Snake Group. You must understand that, and go ahead with this exam," Mashima-sensei warned us.

Explanation of the Rules:

In this exam, the cornerstone will be the a 'VIP' student who will be chosen from each group. By using your critical thinking, you will be able to achieve one of the four given outcomes in this exam.

--Each group will receive a mail, which will state that a VIP student has been chosen from your group, by 8:00am tomorrow.

--The exam will itself take place anytime between 1:00pm to 9:00pm. Students are free to act as they please during the rest of the day.

--For about an hour each day, groups will be required to meet up and discuss together. Content of discussion is left to the discretion of the group.

--At the end of the exam, the VIP student of your group must be identified. This will be done between 9:30pm and 10:00pm. Only one answer can be submitted per group, and the answers must be sent to a certain email address that will be provided to mobile phones.

--The VIP students cannot be the one to send the answers.

--The identity of the VIP student of the group you are a part of only must be sent. Any other answer will be considered as invalid.

--Details of the results will be mailed to the students by 11:00pm on the final day.

Possible End Results:

-- Share the identity of the VIP and clear the exam as one:

If the answers of the VIP student as well as the other group members are all correct, they will all receive Private Points (including members other than the VIP student themselves). The members will receive 500,000 Points each, and the VIP will receive 1,000,000 Points.

-- Answer incorrectly and the group loses but the VIP still gets Points:

If there are incorrect answers or unanswered questions by people other than the VIP student, only the VIP student will receive 500,000 Private Points.

-- A Traitor uncovers the identity of the VIP:

In the case that someone other than the VIP answers the question before waiting for the allocated time and answers correctly, the class of the answerer will be awarded 50 Class Points and the answerer will receive 500,000 Private Points. The class whose VIP has been identified will lose 50 Class Points, and the test will be terminated for that group.

-- A Traitor disregards the VIP's judgement:

In the case that someone other than the VIP answers the question before waiting for the allocated time and answers incorrectly, the class of the answerer will lose 50 Class Points. The class which the VIP belongs to will be rewarded 50 Class Points, and the VIP will still gain 500,000 Private Points. The test will be then terminated for that group.

Damn, that's a lot of rules.

"Wait, I need to read this again. I kinda lost it halfway through," Hasebe-san said, and she snatched the sheet of paper from Miyake's table, scanning through the list once again. Mori-san followed suit, reading it over Hasebe-san's shoulder.

"Did you get it, Takeyama?" Miyake asked me.

"Yes, more or less. I have a few questions, though."

"I'm here to answer any of your queries," Mashima-sensei said.

"What if the traitor is from the Class that the VIP itself belongs to?" I fired. "Wouldn't that make it very easy for the Class which has the VIP appointed to get Class Points? They could just share the identity of the VIP among themselves, and send the message to the school."

"Your argument is very valid, but fortunately, that is not possible," Mashima-sensei answered. "The traitor cannot be from the same Class as the VIP student. The answer would be considered invalid, and the exam for that group will continue."

"I see. Thank you, sensei."

I did not find any loophole in this exam, as such. The most favorable outcome that the upper classes will be looking for is either the First or the Second one, preferably the First one. They did not need Class Points as much as the lower classes needed them, so they'll probably try to play it easy and just get themselves Private Points. This strategy would work for them, even more so if the VIP happens to belong to either Class A or B.

In case the VIP did not belong to Class A or B, and is someone from, let's say, Class C, then Outcome Three would be what Class D will be looking for, given that the traitor belongs to our Class. If the VIP ends up being someone from Class D, then Outcome Four would be the best, given that the traitor comes from one of the other classes, and answers incorrectly.

In other words, we need to give them concrete proof that someone else is the VIP, and then allow them to guess that person. It would rake us 50 full Class Points, and we could hit another class with a penalty of 50 Points. The aim would be to definitely penalize Class C, as we could climb up faster that way. This is, however, only if the VIP is in our class.

But this exam was divided into 12 groups, and I was part of only one. The results of the other 11 groups have to be satisfactory, otherwise we wouldn't have a net advantage over the other classes by the end of the exam.

"You can take your time and discuss among yourselves. The time is already 19:00, I should be leaving and going to another room for explanations," Mashima-sensei said. He then left, closing the door behind him. Our small group of four decided to talk it out a bit.

"I think we should all talk about the identity of the VIP," Hasebe-san started. "If any of us end up being the VIP, I think it would be good for Class D to know about it."

"I agree, Haruka-chan," Mori-san said. "Shouldn't we all trust each other and go ahead with this exam?"

"I think that is the best option," I said. "But it's better to do it somewhere else. Even the walls have ears. We won't know who the target is until tomorrow morning. We can get together before that and check whether any of us have been appointed as Leader."

"I think that'll work. Do you want me to make a group chat for this?" Hasebe-san asked. Everyone in the room agreed, and we exchanged contact numbers.

I was a bit curious as to what had happened in Ayanokoji's group and Hirata's group. We did not have anything else to talk about in our group anyways, so I excused myself and headed over to the guest cabin. Ayanokoji's explanation was already over, since his timings were earlier than mine. He was sound asleep in the Room, so I thought it would be rude to wake him up. Hirata was there in the Room, and he smiled at me as I entered.

"So what was it about?" Hirata asked me.

"It's a Special Exam, which focuses mainly on our thinking abilities. The rules are a bit challenging to explain orally, though."

"That's alright, my session will be starting in about an hour. I'll get to know there anyways," Hirata said, brushing aside my excuse. "Who else is in your group from Class D?"

"Hasebe-san, Miyake-kun and Mori-san."

"Quite the group. You'll need to take a bit of initiative with this one, Keisuke. Your pairings are usually very quiet and reserved, more so in a Special Exam," Hirata reasoned.

"I've already gathered that much," I replied. "Especially Mori-san. She's really shy and quiet, so we must all be on the lookout for her."

Hirata smiled. "You're in the group, so I know there's no need to worry."

"On another note, who are the students in your group?"

"From Class D, it's Kushida-san and Horikita-san," Hirata replied.

I raised my eyebrows. Hirata, Kushida and Horikita are in the same group? They're the 3 most well-known faces from Class D right now.

"I know what you're thinking," Hirata said as though reading my thoughts. "It is a bit strange that the 3 of us ended up in the same group. However, I cannot come to a conclusion, since you're one of the better known people in Class D as well, and you aren't in the group."

"Yes, maybe it's just a coincidence," I shrugged. I was a known person in the grade? I felt my chest rise up in pride.

Hirata looked at the time, and there was only 10 minutes left until the allotted meeting time. Our conversation seemed to have stirred Ayanokoji awake as well, and the 3 of us decided to tag along to Hirata's Room.

At exactly 19:50pm, Hirata entered the Room, and closed the door behind him. Ayanokoji and I stood outside the door, and decided to come back 20 minutes later.

"Who are the people in your group, Takeyama-kun?" Ayanokoji asked.

"Hasebe-san, Miyake-kun and Mori-san. What about you?"

"Karuizawa-san, Sotomura-kun and Yukimura-kun," he answered. "You were given a sheet with the names of all the other students too, right?"

"Yeah, but I'm not really acquainted with most of them," I sighed apologetically. "There's Ishizaki-kun and Shiina-san from Class C, and Shibata-kun from Class B. That's about it. I don't know who the others are."

"You could say the only familiar names in my group are Ichinose-san and Ibuki-san," Ayanokoji muttered. At the mention of Ichinose, my heart skipped a beat. Such strange behavior. It hasn't happened to me before.

We quietly walked through the corridors of the Speranza, breathing in a comfortable silence. Ayanokoji is a man of few words, and I found that holding a conversation with him wasn't actually hard. I knew about his genius intellect, but there was really no point in sharing that information with everyone else. It wouldn't help, no matter what.

We took a U-turn, and slowly walked back towards Hirata's Room. The meeting looked like it was over. There was quite a gathering outside the Room, notably Horikita and Kushida from Class D, Katsuragi from Class A, Kanzaki from Class B and Ryuuen from Class C.

"Damn... that's a scary group," I commented.

"Will Hirata be okay? It's shaping up to be a hard one," Ayanokoji slowly said.

"He probably will. Yosuke is a smart guy."

The group made me reaffirm my suspicions on this so-called Dragon Group. This group consisted of almost all Class Leaders. It was a provocative grouping, pitching the best against the best.

Someone was pulling the strings from behind, and is manipulating the groups. However, I was curious as to why Kanzaki was in this group, instead of Ichinose. The Dragon Group had all the main Class Leaders, but Kanzaki-kun could be called more of a deputy Leader. Ichinose was the public face of Class B.

Something isn't right.

A/N's:

I've got nothing to say except that I love this exam. It's really smart, and it's one of the best arcs in the LN. Thank you for reading, and have a great day.

Chapter 23 - The Zodiac Exam, Part 2

That night, I received a message from Horikita, asking me to meet her at the café on the first floor of the deck the next morning. I assumed this was to discuss the groupings that were made a few hours back.

The next morning dawned upon me, and I headed out to the café. Ayanokoji wasn't in the room when I woke up, so I assumed he would be there too. And surely, he was there, but Horikita herself was missing. Preposterous.

"Yo."

"Oh.. good morning, Takeyama," Ayanokoji said, while sipping a cup of coffee.

"I'll take one as well," I said to the waiter, and he diligently went ahead to prepare my morning brew.

"The ice queen hasn't arrived herself. What a shame," I said jokingly.

"I wasn't expecting her to arrive early anyways," Ayanokoji shrugged. "She's a sadist."

"I heard that," Horikita-san took her seat in between me and Ayanokoji, giving both of us a menacing look.

"Talk about timings," I murmured. Ayanokoji hummed in agreement. "So, I assume it is about the Zodiac Test?"

"It is. My group turned out to be extremely irrational, almost to the point where I can't even call it a coincidence," Horikita stated, as she drew out a piece of paper with the names of all the students in her group. She must have memorized them while they had passed around the sheet yesterday.

If you think about it, the odds of Horikita's group being formed with its current members is almost nil. Almost all the Class Leaders are present in the Dragon Group. From Class A, there is Kohei Katsuragi; from Class B, Ryuji Kanzaki; and Ryuuen from Class C. Even our Class had Hirata and Kushida, 2 honor students. It would inevitably form a very strong group, where it would be hard to cooperate for winning or losing.

"It doesn't look like a coincidence," Ayanokoji said, scanning through the list. "It's so conspicuous."

"But why isn't Ichinose Honami a part of this group then?" I asked. "She would be a better representative than Kanzaki-kun for Class B, don't you think?"

"It did strike me as odd," Horikita said. "Ryuji Kanzaki could might as well represent Class B, it doesn't really make a difference. After all, even Class A is divided into factions, one for Katsuragi-kun, and the Sakayanagi faction. Sakayanagi isn't part of the group, so it proves my point. Furthermore, just because she is the face of the class doesn't mean that she is the leader of the class."

"I don't think Sakayanagi-san is a part of this exam," I said. "Mashima-sensei said there was one missing student in the exam due to 'weak physical constitution', so I assumed that would be her."

"Ah. But my second point still holds."

"What about the rest of the people in your group?" Ayanokoji asked.

"Normal. Nothing special about those." I snatched the paper from Ayanokoji and looked through the names.

--Class A: Katsuragi Kohei, Nishikawa Ryoko, Shita Shinji, Koharu Yano

--Class B: Ryuji Kanzaki, Ando Sayo, Tsukabe Hitomi

--Class C: Oda Takumi, Suzuki Hidetoshi, Sonoda Masashi, Ryuuen Kakeru

--Class D: Hirata Yosuke, Kushida Kikyo, Horikita Suzune

The only other person I knew apart from the Class Leaders and Class D was Nishikawa Ryoko, because I remember hanging out with her and Nishi Haruka before the start of the Island Exam. Everyone else was an unfamiliar name.

"I believe it will be time soon for the mail to arrive," Horikita said impatiently. As soon as the clock struck 8:00am, all 3 of our phones vibrated, not even a second apart. I quickly took it out, and scanned my email. Horikita pushed her phones on the table and allowed us to see her mail.

After a period of thorough consideration, you have not been chosen as the VIP. Please act together and clear this exam as one. The exam itself shall begin from 1:00pm today onwards. The exam will be held for 3 days from this point onwards. If you belong to the Dragon Group, please come up to the room marked as such on the second floor immediately.

*

"My email is basically the same, except for the name of the group. Everything lines up perfectly," Ayanokoji said, as he read through Horikita's phone.

"Looks like none of us are the VIP here. The person who becomes VIP would be at an overwhelming advantage, in my opinion. He or she could guide the group to any of the 4 outcomes, if played well," Horikita reasoned.

I stayed quiet for a while. I was thinking hard.

"Takeyama-kun? Something the matter?" Ayanokoji asked me. I sighed, and pushed my phone towards them.

After a period of thorough consideration, you have been CHOSEN as the VIP. Please act together and clear this exam as one. The exam itself shall begin from 1:00pm onwards. The exam will be held for 3 days from this period onwards. If you belong to the Snake Group, please come up to the room marked as such on the second floor immediately.

*

Horikita reread my mail again and again.

"There's no mistake. It's legit," I deadpanned.

"Looks like you're gonna have a huge role in this exam. You can't take it easy," Ayanokoji reasoned.

I stretched back in my chair and looked up into the blue sky. The weather was absolutely wonderful today. What a shame for it to be wasted this way.

I had already played out several scenarios of what, how, why and when things should be done, if someone from any of the other class, or someone from Class D was chosen as the VIP. But I hadn't really thought about what to do if I was chosen as the VIP myself. The situation was becoming troublesome, but it opened up an infinite array of possibilities for me now. Just as Ayanokoji said, I could guide my group to the desired outcome, given that I factor in all the conditions.

Should I try and use a similar tactic that I used during the Island Exam? To lie to my allies, so I can fool the enemy? Our Snake Group in Class D had decided that we would share the identity of the VIP in case any of us became one. However, the repercussions of lying to my allies could be disastrous. In case we decided to show our identity as VIP to the class, and come to a major consensus of aiming for Outcome 1, then my lie would be revealed, and I would lose all trust even among Class D members.

I opened the group chat that Hasebe-san had created the other day. Mori-san, Miyake-kun and Hasebe-san had already confirmed on the group that none of them were the VIP's, and were now currently waiting for my reply.

Horikita-san noticed me stare into my phone, and she peeked over to read the chats. "Are you planning to pull of some stunt this time as well?"

"You didn't have to put it that way. You wound my soul, Horikita."

"How I wish I could," she sassed. "Are you going to lie to your group? Or come out clean?"

"I'll come out clean this time," I replied, taking in the situation. "There are no benefits in lying to my Class D mates in this Exam. Lying won't get us anywhere. I'll be aiming for Outcome 4, though."

"Outcome 4? You want someone to guess the wrong leader? That is the most desirable option, but I don't see how that is under your control," Horikita asked.

"You don't naturally gain things under your control, Horikita-san," I said nonchalantly. "You must bring them under control."

"That's rich coming from you," Horikita ignored me.

"Even though me and Ayanokoji fiddled and played you around like a pawn?"

"Tch." Good. I had annoyed Horikita. She must know what it feels like to have her around all the time. I took a last sip from my coffee, before turning to leave. "We must leave. The mail said that we would have to go to the Room soon. The morning discussion must be starting."

"Kuku, why are you leaving so fast? Don't like me?" I heard a sneer behind me, and I sighed. What great timings.

"Good morning, Ryuuen." I noticed Ibuki Mio trailing behind him as well, keeping an irritated expression on her face.

"Why, such a polite man," Ryuuen rebuked me. "Hey there, Suzune. What're you having for breakfast?"

"Don't go calling me around by my first name like that, Ryuuen," Horikita snapped. "And it's quite amazing to see you're daring enough to turn up in front of us today. considering what you did during the Island Exam," she directed her wrath towards Ibuki.

Ibuki pursed her lower lips in an attempt to talk back, but she remained silent. Probably Ryuuen's orders.

"Come on now, don't be so rude," Ryuuen said as though he were a child who had just been denied his cereal. "I'll have my breakfast here." Saying so, he took the seat next to me, and proceeded to order a cup of coffee.

"Now, mind if you tell me what Class Defect pulled off in the Island Exam?" Ryuuen asked, his attention directed towards both me and Horikita.

"I don't see why we have to tell you that," Horikita interjected. "A strategy used by the Class of Defects should naturally be easy to figure out, right?"

"I don't care about what you say, but according to her report, you did not do jackshit during the exam to achieve those results," Ryuuen frowned, pointing towards Ibuki.

"Better safe than sorry," Horikita replied, keeping her calm and cool demeanor. "I was already suspicious of Ibuki's arrival at Class D's camp. I just took necessary precautions."

"You took necessary precaution? Kuku, how funny. This handsome young man here was the Leader, wasn't he? I wonder what hocus-pocus you did to change the Leader. After all, we wrote his name as our Leader guess, and we incurred penalties. The only possible explanation for this is the Leader was changed."

"It's not impressive that you figured it out. Even someone with a bird-brain would figure it out," Horikita said, elegantly sipping her coffee (tea?).

"On another note, it seems you have become quite an eyesore for that baldie in Class A as well," Ryuuen sneered. "Your Class has caught the attention of the big fish."

"It looks like it. Katsuragi-kun was merely stating that he did not see Class D as an inferior class anymore, and that he would strike us with everything that he has got. I don't see how that is any different from what things should normally be like," Horikita replied. "Katsuragi also has an idea of what might have conspired during the Island Exam. You all are on guard around me now, aren't you?"

"Kuku. I must say that I want to confirm your capability for myself. But you should also know that my methods are different from Katsuragi's. A serious-chan type girl like you wouldn't be able to come up with such a strategy during the exam."

"And how would you know what strategy I came up in the exam? Only the results were announced," Horikita defiantly said. "Besides, you seem to have already come to a conclusion about my strategy anyways."

"No, no, that's not it. Even you wouldn't have factored into account that you were going to retire from the Exam on the last day. After all, retirement is subjective. To be able to know that you'll be sick enough to retire, you did not know about this," Ryuuen said, trying to confirm his hypothesis.

"What I'm saying is that Takeyama was not the Leader at the end. It was someone else, and I'm quite sure that the someone else was you, Suzune."

"That's one way of looking at it. I don't see what you're trying to confirm. If it is that Class D's Leader was changed to me, then you can keep guessing. I'm at no position to reveal my Class's strategy," Horikita said.

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. They were talking with me stuck in between. I wanted to get out, but that would draw Ryuuen's attention towards me. I, instead, proceeded to stir my coffee absentmindedly with my straw.

"Kuku, interesting. Have you received the mail from school regarding the VIP? Are you the VIP?" Ryuuen asked nonchalantly.

"And you think I'm just gonna tell you that?" Horikita said exasperatedly.

"Of course not, I was merely joking," Ryuuen said, taking a sip from his coffee. Ibuki continued to stand behind, listening intently to the conversation.

"Why are so obsessed with Class D, and in particular, me?" Horikita asked. "You have Katsuragi-kun from Class A, and Ichinose-san from Class B. There are plenty of opponents to fight. As the Class C Leader, you're making the wrong choice going after Class D."

"Kuku, scared now, are we?" Ryuuen mocked her apathetically. "It's no fun dealing with those brats. But thinking about how there might be someone behind you pulling the strings, it makes my poor heart flutter." Ryuuen gently turned his gaze towards me and Ayanokoji, sight flickering between the 2.

"I believe you're mistaken, Ryuuen," I said. "I did not know that I wasn't the Leader until the results were announced. It came as quite a shock to me as well. However, I will not deny that Ibuki-san was rather suspicious, so I kept my guard up around her."

Ryuuen stared at me for a while, before dismissing me as an uninteresting specimen. He then looked towards Ayanokoji, who had been sitting quietly for some time now.

"I don't really have anyone I could call a friend in this school. The only ones close to me are Ayanokoji-kun and Takeyama-kun. Ayanokoji-kun had just been holding me back and hasn't really been very cooperative with me," Horikita-san stated. "Perhaps he's the one pulling my strings?"

"I see," Ryuuen said, before he looked forward towards the counter. He then suddenly took out his phone and pointed it towards Horikita. I couldn't stop my trained body from instinctively raising my hand against the camera lens, and there was a faint glimmer of light behind my hand.

"W-Wha... did you just try to take my photo?" Horikita said angrily.

"I tried, yes. It looks like Mr. Desirable here has more to him than just his looks," Ryuuen said as I slowly lowered my hand back onto the table, keeping my gaze locked onto Ryuuen's.

"I find it indecent that you try pulling off this sort of stuff, Ryuuen," I said, a hint of annoyance in my voice.

"Kuku. I'm so terribly sorry," saying so, Ryuuen got up from his seat, and left along with Ibuki in tow. I watched them leave before I turned my gaze upon my now-finished cup of coffee.

"Thank you." I turned to find Horikita looking at me with sincere gratitude in her eyes for once. "So you're hiding more than just academics, obviously."

"Oh my. How exceptionally smart you are, Horikita Suzune."

"I have already lost all my gratitude for you."

I made my way to Miyake-kun's room, which was just a room down mine. We headed down the corridor towards the meeting Room, running into Mori-san and Hasebe-san on the way. I had already texted them the night before telling them that I had been chosen as the VIP, and there were mixed reactions in the group. We decided that we wouldn't ever talk about it in public, even if we were all alone, and we would always use the Group Chat for talking about anything sensitive, like the VIP.

I turned the doorknob and walked into the Room. There were several students already seated in the Room, but my trained eye searched for the one person who I most wanted to see. I found that person, and they waved back at me with a sincere smile.

I walked over, and took my seat next to her.

"Good morning, Takeyama-kun," Shiina-san said warmly.

"Good morning, Shiina-san. It's great we've been assigned to the same Group."

"Woah, woah, wait a minute!" A gruff voice shouted next to my ear. "How do you know Shiina?!" I turned my head to look towards Daichi Ishizaki, who was frantically trying to digest the situation. "Shiina, why're you friends with this moron!? And he's from Class D on that!"

"Please don't say such harsh things, Ishizaki-kun," Shiina-san rebuked him. "Takeyama-kun is a good friend of mine. Why does it matter that he's from Class D?"

My god, I love this girl.

"Tch." Saying so, Ishizaki clicked his tongue, and turned to face the rest of the group. I noticed Mori-san shooting us apprehensive glances every now and then. I felt bad for her.

I looked around the room and analyzed the rest of the people in the Room. I could distinguish Sho Shibata from Class B, and he was amicably striking up a conversation with his fellow Class B mates. I'd heard about him from Hirata; I understood that he belonged to the soccer club as well.

There was a boy with a blond ponytail, his feet raised up on the desk, giving off a smug air. He was seated next to a man with long, black hair and eyebags. Through the process of elimination, I surmised that they were from Class A.

Me and Shiina-san continued to talk about books, and I was amazed at how much she knew about them. Soon, there was an announcement made via speakers:

'The Special Exam Discussion will now commence.'

The Room was deadly silent, and you could hear a pin drop in the room. No one was willing to take the initiative to start the meeting. There a sound of a chair scraping across the floor of the Room, and Sho Shibata of Class B stood up. You can always count on Class B for awkward situations like these.

"I think before we proceed with the actual Exam, wouldn't it be better for all of us to introduce ourselves? It'll help us to get to know each other better and take a wiser decision together at the end!"

Man, what a hero.

"I think that's a great idea!" Mori-san chirped in.

"Great! I'll go first. My name is Sho Shibata, from Class B," he effortlessly introduced himself.

"My name is Nene Mori, from Class D." Soon, everyone caught onto the act, and we all introduced ourselves to the rest of the group.

"I think the main aim of this Exam is to see whether we can integrate ourselves across classes, and try to achieve an outcome that is beneficial to all of us," Shibata continued.

"I digress, Shibata-kun," the blond ponytail, who I learned was Masayoshi Hashimoto, said. "Every class here is trying to get Points only for themselves and their Class. We cannot hope to try and achieve and outcome that benefits all Classes. It will be detrimental in the future."

"But shouldn't we all try and and aim for the best outcome?" Shibata pleaded. He then turned to the rest of the class. "What does everyone else think? Shouldn't we all try and aim for the best outcome?"

I had 2 choices now. Since I was the VIP, only the Third Outcome would actually harm Class D. I could agree with Shibata and proceed to try and reveal the VIP right at the end. However, within the 3 days of the exam, that would draw suspicion on Class D and me. If I agreed with Hashimoto, I would basically be screwing my chances of getting a truce in this Exam. I decided to go ahead with Outcome 1 right now, the method in which everyone cooperates and clears the exam as one.

"I think Outcome 1 is desirable," I started. "We cannot dismiss the possibility that there will be a traitor in this Group. My method of clearing this exam would be to not talk about the Exam at all until the last day of discussion, and then the VIP will reveal their identity to the Group. Everyone can then send the mail to the school simultaneously, thereby effortlessly achieving the First Outcome."

"Spoken like a true pacifist," Hashimoto mocked me. "I wonder if that is a good idea? Isn't this exam an opportunity for the lower classes to rise up the rankings? Shouldn't Class D understand this more than everyone?"

"Just as I understand that more than anyone, I understand that your method of dealing with things just increases the chances of a traitor appearing. As much as it is desirable to hog all the Points for your own Class, it is undesirable for everyone else, or in other words, 75% of the group. If everyone thinks the same way, we cannot hope to achieve anything in this exam."

"But that is the point of the exam, is it not?" Hayato Kito fired back this time. It seems Class A was against cooperating in this exam. "The reason our school can function under a Class hierarchy is because of these forms of betrayal that can be incorporated. Don't you think it is in the best interests of Class A to not cooperate and rake in as many Points as possible? Even though we are in Class A, we will not hesitate at any opportunity to get Points."

"It might be in the best interests of Class A, but not for the others. I understand you're talking about this exam from the perspective that Class A will be refusing to cooperate, am I right?" Shibata said in my stead.

"Yes, and that will be our final decision," Hashimoto said. Miki Yamamura, the third student of Class A, did not utter a word throughout the entire exchange.

"Very well. Does that mean that all other classes are willing to cooperate during this exam?" The rest of the group nodded, and Class A isolated themselves from the discussion.

The rest of the discussion passed by with everyone chatting amongst ourselves. When the meeting ended, we all left, and after waving Shiina goodbye, I ran towards Room 204, which was the Room for the Rabbit Meeting.

I noticed Ayanokoji, Sotomura and Yukimura walk out of the Room, and I walked up to meet them. Ayanokoji noticed me, and excused himself from the group to meet up with me.

"How did it go?" he asked when he arrived by my side.

"It was quite peaceful, except that Class A did not cooperate. We plan to aim for the First Outcome, though."

"The First Outcome? That would not exactly close the gap between our classes, would it? Or do you have something else in mind?"

"Don't you think 1,000,000 Private Points is worth trying for?" I said nonchalantly.

"You're aiming for the First Outcome just to get Private Points? You're not worried about the Class Rankings?"

"Are you?"

Ayanokoji stayed quiet when I asked this question, and I turned to look at him. His emotionless face did not reveal anything to me, but I guessed that he wasn't the type to care which Class he graduated from.

"I'm trying to gauge Horikita's capabilities," I said, answering his question. "She cannot rely on us all the time. She's taking the credit anyways, and it kinda annoys me. If she can get a favorable result from her group, then I can trust her. I'm not saying that I'll sabotage the group. It's just that the 1,000,000 Private Points is more appealing to me."

*

(Zodiac Exam Day 1; Ayanokoji, Kiyotaka POV):

The man in front of me is a bit different than I am.

He does not care about the Class Points much; he only sees what will benefit him in the end. We were similar in that thought process. However, his abilities far exceed what I imagined them to be. He did not play just for the Class, he played looking into the future. 1,000,000 Private Points will be much more beneficial if it is used properly for the Class, than 50 Class Points. 50 Class Points would mean 5,000 Private Points per month. The VIP would get 500,000 Points if the result was Outcome 4 (where the traitor's assessment is wrong).

In other words, it will take 100 months to gain 500,000 Private Points, while Outcome 1 guaranteed 1,000,000 Private Points to the VIP. Furthermore, 50 Class Points would be distributed to 40 students in the Class each, and the majority will be against pooling in their money, and will mostly spend it away.

The man in front of me was cold, calculating and vicious. He does not hesitate to hold back even his allies if the need were to come. Someone who takes daring decisions, after playing out the entire game in their mind.

Takeyama Keisuke is one man I cannot control in this entire school.

A/N's: (IMPORTANT)

So hello everyone, hope you liked the chapter!

I've been thinking; in one of my previous A/N's, I had said that I would choose Ichinose Honami as the OC's main love interest. But as I was coming up with plot points to continue the story, I realized it would become insanely hard to control class outcomes if the Leader of Class B and our MC are dating. I wanna stick to the LN in terms of plot progress, so making a major decision like that would kinda put my story off-track. Ichinose and smug loli do that.

So I've decided that Hiyori Shiina will be the OC's main love interest. Sorry for springing this up suddenly! Everyone loves Shiina, so hopefully it's all good!

Also, thank you for continuing to support this fic! We've almost reached 10K views, and that's insane! I was never expecting such a positive response to my fic. It's a real morale booster, trust me.

See ya soon, cheers.

Chapter 24 - The Zodiac Exam, Part 3

In the end, even after I entered this school, nothing had changed.

No, it was perhaps because I had no intention to change. For better or worse, it was the same as that time. And the reason for that is simple.

That I understand myself better than anyone.

Both my strengths and my weaknesses, I know them all. I know none of the boys or the girls like me. Even though I understood this clearly I did not make a change. But it doesn't matter now. Because I had long since stopped perceiving things as hurtful. I wanted this myself.

I looked into the mirror after walking out of the shower attached to the student rooms. How many times have I wanted to smash this mirror into pieces? Every time I look into it, I am reminded of my horrible past. Suddenly feeling dizzy and nauseated, I quickly put my hands over the sink and vomit.

Why does it have to be me? Why, why, why?

God has been very cruel to me. I cannot change the past. I have lost everything, my friends, my past, my youth. I need to correct that mistakenow. No matter how much they hate me, I must protect myself. Yes, I don't need youth, I don't need friends. The most important is that I protect myself.

Because I am weak.

Because I am a parasite.

~~ Kei Karuizawa's Monologue

_

"You there?"

Ayanokoji snapped back to reality when I shook him awake from his daydream.

"Y-Yeah, I got a bit sidetracked," Ayanokoji said.

"So what's the answer?" I asked.

"What's the question?"

I sighed. "You weren't listening, were you?"

"Like I said, I got sidetracked."

"What happened in your group? The Rabbit Group," I asked for the second time.

"Nothing of interest. Ichinose took the lead in our Group, and talked about how we needed to trust each other and all that stuff. Surprisingly, Class A is not willing to participate in the discussion. Their apparent goal is to stay quiet throughout the exam, without uttering a single word, and get by," Ayanokoji replied.

"Wait, so they aren't participating in the discussion at all?" I asked, a bit curious.

"Nope. Are the Class A students in your Snake group doing something else? From what I inferred, the entire Class A is going with this strategy."

"No. They did not say that they would not participate in the discussion. They made it painfully clear that they were aiming for Outcome 3, where the traitor would obviously be from Class A. They refuse to cooperate, but they never said anything about staying silent throughout the exam."

Ayanokoji weighed in my words, and was lost in thought. This had come as potential information to me as well. Does that mean either The Rabbit Group's Class A, or The Snake Group's Class A are going with different strategies, even though they are from the same class? Some form of unrest, in a sense?

I could confirm my suspicions if I met up with Horikita's Dragon Group now. Katsuragi-kun was also a part of this group, so whichever strategy he had adopted was the one that Class A had discussed and agreed upon.

We approached Room 205, the room where the Dragon Group meeting was being held. The door was still locked from the inside, so I assumed that the meeting was still going on. Me and Ayanokoji waited outside the room for the Class D people to come out.

5 minutes.

10 minutes.

15 minutes.

What the hell were those fools doing inside? I began to grow a bit impatient, and started pacing down the corridor, albeit slowly, looking outside the windows of the cruise ship and admiring the beauty of the ocean. Soon, the door opened, and Ryuuen was the first person to come out.

"Kuku. Takeyama waiting for his girlfriends?" he sneered.

"Your group took quite some time," I said, ignoring his earlier statement.

"The extras from Class D were holding us back after all," Ryuuen deadpanned. "This is such a boring exam. Thinking ability, my ass." Saying so, Ryuuen smiled, showing me his white teeth, and left the Room. The rest of the Class C group followed suit after him, cowering in his shadow. Lame.

Hirata, Kushida and Horikita exited the Room, followed by Katsuragi and Class A. It seems the one of the Class A girls who had approached me on the ship before the Island Exam, Ryoko Nishikawa, was also in this group, and she shyly waved to me as she saw me. I let out a soft smile and waved back. She widened her eyes, and her cheeks turned beet red, and she scurried off in the opposite direction.

"Oh? Takeyama and Ayanokoji-kun?" Kushida said, feigning surprise. She had almost definitely noticed us already. "What are you doing here?"

"Hello, Kushida-san. I just wanted to know how the meeting in the Dragon Group went," I replied honestly. "After all, there are quite a few big names in here."

"It wasn't too bad, though," Hirata said, responding in Kushida's place. "Class C does not even seem to care that there is a special exam going on, and they're are just idling their time away, not even discussing anything. Class A is going with a strategy of not talking at all. I feel that is definitely a good strategy, but it makes it much harder for Class B and D, who are actually trying to clear the exam as one."

"I see. So Class A is has decided to remain mute throughout the exam?" Ayanokoji joined in.

"Yes, that is we I have gathered until now," Horikita replied. "What about the Snake Group and the Rabbit Group? How are things there?"

"Class A has adopted a similar strategy in the Rabbit Group as well," Ayanokoji responded. "They're refusing to speak. Ichinose-san is in our group, so it makes having actual discussions a possibility in an otherwise quiet group."

"What about Class B and C?" Kushida asked.

"As of now, they are cooperating," Ayanokoji said. "Everything else is smooth."

Hirata and Horikita nodded, and then turned to look at me.

"Our group is in a similar state. Class A refuses to speak, and Class B has taken control of proceedings. We're trying to aim for Outcome 1, so we've decided to adjourn discussion altogether. No discussion equals no traitors."

"That is a fair logic. Well, it seems we cannot gather much information on today's meetings," Horikita said. "We must attend a few more of these discussions so that we can take an actual call on the situation." Everyone agreed to this statement, and we all excused ourselves to our respective rooms. Me, Hirata and Ayanokoji, being in the same guest cabin, walked together.

"Yosuke, there's something I need to tell you," I started.

"Mhm? I'm all ears."

"I don't think it is wise to say this out loud. Could you take out your phone? I'll message you the details."

Hirata complied, and I sent him a message stating that I was the VIP in the Snake Group. I hadn't informed Hirata about it yet, and I thought it would be better if I did.

Hirata's eyes widened a bit after reading my message, but he regained his composure almost immediately. "Yeah, I got it," he said, without revealing any other information. The walk back to the room was silent, but it was a comfortable one.

Class A in the Dragon Group, the group with Katsuragi in it, had adopted a policy of staying completely out of the conversation throughout the discussion. It was in tandem with what Ayanokoji's group, the Rabbit Group, was doing. Why, then, were the students in the Snake Group not following the same policy? They had clearly stated that they would be aiming for Outcome 3, favorable to Class A, and would take part in the discussion if it steered that way.

Does that mean Hashimoto, Kito and Yamamura do not listen to Katsuragi? The civil war currently brewing in Class A suddenly popped up in my mind, and I could slowly but surely formulate a theory behind their actions.

Were they acting on Sakayanagi's orders?

I hadn't met Sakayanagi yet, but the name resonated within me. During the entrance exam, the speech was given by the acting chairman, and he called himself Mr. Sakayanagi. Unless the 2 of them coincidentally shared the same name, I could deduce that the chairman was most probably Sakayanagi-san's guardian. Was she put in Class A because the chairman rigged the standings? It would make sense if she had a very high academic ability, but it is completely countered by her cognitive heart defect, which would drastically reduce her physical strength.

No, that was a very derogatory way of thinking. Sakayanagi has proven herself to be a force to be reckoned with, considering that half of Class A willingly sides with her in the faction war. If she can be a potential Leader for the top Class A, I believe her abilities are definitely top-notch as well.

However, now that I know this, it would make it easier for me to control the standings in the Snake Group. Class A would be looking for every opportunity to disrespect and disassociate themselves with Katsuragi, so they would almost instantly turn traitor if given the right conditions.

But that was not the plan.

The plan was to receive Private Points. 1,000,000 Points on that. I could not refuse such a blatantly obvious choice.

I would, for now, stick with the way things are going.

(The Zodiac Exam Day 2; Ayanokoji, Kiyotaka POV):

I absentmindedly stared at the black screen of my phone, occasionally looking forward to listen in to the discussion that was currently taking place in the Rabbit Group. Class A was holed up in a corner of the Room, either on their phones, or talking about unrelated things. Even Ichinose-san and Hamagichi-kun did not have much to talk about, now that most of the group was quiet and unwilling to participate in further discussion.

What struck me as odd, however, was Kei Karuizawa's behavior. She had chosen Machida-kun from Class A as the alpha of the room, and made all attempts to sit next to him (not that Machida was complaining). The Class C girls, Manabe Shiho, Nanami Yabu and Yamashita Saki, were all intently glaring at her for a reason that I could not comprehend.

The rest of the meeting ended without anything being finalized, and we left the Room. I walked over to Room 206, the Snake Group, to check what Takeyama was doing and how he was handling the situation.

From what I can understand of Takeyama, he does not really try to hide his abilities. His tactics are a bit more bold, and he doesn't hesitate to stand out. He avoids taking Leader positions in the Class, and prefers to act more like an open advisor and schemer to Horikita. He has the same goal as me — passing off Horikita as a scapegoat, the public face of the Class, and pinning all the credit on her. However, during the Island Exam, he did not hesitate to take up the position of Class Leader to carry out his plans. That stunt had inevitably drawn attention to him, as seen when Ryuuen took an interest in him yesterday morning.

I was sure that Ryuuen talking to Horikita was just an act, a façade, to actually watch and observe Takeyama from up close. However, from what I've seen, he's unusually good at maintaining a respectful poker face, so he doesn't give off any information via expressions.

What I really was thinking about was that how the 2 of us were slowly becoming close. It was gradual, and there was no talk about it, but I'm sure that we were slowly opening up to each other, and were comfortable to showcase a fraction of our abilities around each other.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Karuizawa-san leave the Room, and the Class C girls follow suit after her, in a bad mood. I sensed the abnormality in the situation, and so did Yukimura, who exited the Room after me. We looked at each other for a second, and knew that something was not right. We kept our distance, and trailed the Class C students, who seemed to be obviously following Karuizawa around.

Karuizawa quickened her pace, sensing their stalking. She quickly stopped by a vending machine, and bought a drink. She then turned left around the stairwell, and entered the emergency exit door, and the 3 Class C girls, except Ibuki, followed suit and entered the exit.

"...?"

"Damn that Karuizawa, always getting us into trouble!" Yukimura seethed. "And here I wanted to find out the identity of the VIP, and she always makes things so hard for everyone!"

"Calm down, Yukimura. I think we must investigate what is happening. It might not end in violence, but it could cause quite an uproar," I said.

"Mph... fine."

We turned the corner, and slowly opened the door a crack. Karuizawa's voice clearly filled the corridor.

"Hey, why are you 3 following me?"

"Don't play dumb with us, you pushed Rika right? Start talking."

"W-W-Why are you accusing me? You've g-got the wrong person."

The 3 girls then pushed Karuizawa against the wall, cutting off any escape routes. Even after being pinned, Karuizawa vehemently continued to deny the accusations. Was it really not her then?

"Fine then. I'll call Rika here and confirm whether it really was you."

"W-Wait a minute. I think I m-might have bumped into h-her," Karuizawa changed her tone.

"You filthy liar, you remembered that from the very beginning, didn't you? I don't care either way, but you're going to apologize to Rika."

"She's an airheaded girl, she's the one who bumped into me," Karuizawa remained headstrong. As the Leader of the Class D girls, she needs to show her authority.

"Seriously, she's starting to piss me off," Manabe said. "Let's seriously bully her this time, yeah?"

Manabe pushed her palm against Karuizawa's shoulder, and pinned her hands to the the wall. She did it again, but harder this time. Karuizawa breaths started to get ragged, and she held her head in her arms, shaking it from side to side. Instead of evoking sympathy from the girl group, they grew angrier than before.

"Even if you act all feminine anymore I won't forgive you this time," saying so, she pulled Karuizawa's hair, and forcefully raised her head.

"I've always hated Karuizawa's face, don't you think she's really ugly?"

"Yeah. Do you want to cut up that face of hers?"

It seems Yukimura's sense of justice had kicked in, and he quickly opened the door, surprising the 3 girls inside. Karuizawa on the other hand, looked at Yukimura with a face of relief.

"What are you doing?"

"W-W-W-W-What? I was just talking to Karuizawa-san, right?" Manabe looked at Karuizawa with a threatening expression, as if daring her to say a word, but Karuizawa wasn't someone who would be intimidated by that.

"Yukimura-kun, they violently abducted me and started pushing me around. They're the worst, right? They were so annoying so I told them to back off."

"I think you should leave her. If she just accidentally bumped into this Rika, then it's not her fault right?"

"You shut up. This has nothing to do with you." Yukimura had no choice but to shut up, and Karuizawa stared at Yukimura like he was a pathetic man.

"I think you should leave, a teacher passed by here a few moments ago," I finally intervened. "It would be bad if this spreads to the school."

"Tch. I'll make you bow your head in front of Rika, whether you like it or not," Manabe spat out at Karuizawa, and they left the stairwell.

"Are you alright?" Yukimura asked, as he bent over to help Karuizawa up.

"It's none of your business! Leave me alone!" Karuizawa shouted, slapping Yukimura's hand away.

"What? I'm trying to help you, you know?!" Yukimura stated exasperatedly.

"Shut up! Nobody asked you to help!" Saying so, Karuizawa steadied her labored breathing, and stormed out of the stairwell. Yukimura muttered something nasty under his breath, while I watched Karuizawa's back as she left.

The reaction that she showed was not normal. This was the vulnerable side of Class D's Leader, Karuizawa Kei. Her terrified appearance was not because of the incident right now, she was threatened by something in her past.

It would be fun to uncover her secret.

(The Zodiac Exam Day 2; Takeyama, Keisuke POV):

The time I spend with Hiyori Shiina always seems to while away so fast. She was so obsessed with books, she would never run out of books to talk of. Maybe this was possible because she had someone like me, who was willing to sit and listen, and actually hold a knowledgeable conversation with her.

I looked at the time, and realized that we had been talking on the deck for over 3 hours. I quickly stated that it would be best for me to leave, and her crestfallen face was too much to take for my poor heart, so I decided to stay for another 15 minutes.

I met up with Ayanokoji in our Room, but he did not have anything drastic happen in his Group. Nothing happened in our Group as well, to be honest — I would have expected some sort of mayhem in the Group, but everything was going smoothly. We had even come to some sort of understanding with Class A, and we dissipated the tension in the Room by playing cards. I made some new friends as well, in Sho Shibata and Masayoshi Hashimoto.

I had learnt from the Hirata that Kouenji had ended the exam for the Monkey Group on the first day itself by turning traitor. It was an extremely risky assessment, considering that he had attended only one meeting with his group. Had he figured out who the VIP was through just one meeting? No, it was next to impossible.

There was a trick. A trick that he used to figure out the VIP. Did he somehow manage to decode the algorithm that the school used for generating the random groups and VIP's? I wouldn't be surprised if he did, he certainly was on another level. But it would be too boring to end the exam that way. Besides, I'm aiming for Private Points, not Class Points, so there would be no use in me figuring out the algorithm, unless I wanted to share it with the rest of the Class. I could technically do that, but it would be hard to pin it on Horikita otherwise. This sort of tactics were not a part of Horikita's forte, so it would become overly suspicious if she suggested something that broke the entire structure of the exam itself. I would have to be careful in how I use Horikita in this situation.

The last day of the test would soon be upon us, and I decided that there was no point in thinking about the rules. I used this time to catch on some well-needed Zzz's.

A/N's:

I'm gonna skip a bit on the interaction between Kei Karuizawa and Ayanogod because it is literally the same thing as the light novel. There's absolutely no point in repeating the scene again. I'll go through the gist of it, but I'll keep it short.

Thank you for reading! Cheers.

Chapter 25 - The Zodiac Exam, Finale

(The Zodiac Exam Day 3; 7:54pm; Takeyama, Keisuke POV):

"It's the last meeting, you know, and we literally haven't done anything," Miyake-kun lamented, as though it bothered him.

"Isn't that good?" Hasebe-san said, as the 4 of us, including Mori-san, walked towards Room 206. "They won't know about cutting the beans, will they?"

Ah, yes. Cutting the beans. A method of disguising sensitive topics, which basically included talking about the VIP. The four of us had come to a unanimous agreement that 'cutting the beans' would mean 'knowing the identity of the VIP'. We used this even when we weren't in public, just to make sure. It keeps changing everyday. Yesterday, it was 'pull Miyake's underwear.' That was not a unanimous vote.

We entered the Room to find almost everyone already seated. As usual, I took my seat next to Hiyori Shiina, who gave me a warm smile and waved at me as I arrived. Wholesome.

It was the last day, and you could see a certain unrest on Shibata-kun's face. After all, he had gladly stood up as mediator during our discussions, or lack thereof, whenever the situation arose. If a traitor suddenly appears, then it would be all for naught.

I decided it was finally time to act.

"Everyone, can I have your attention?" All eyes turned to face me, and I was bathed in the spotlight.

"I believe we have come too far to disband all our efforts in this examination. We have painstakingly avoided discussion for 3 days, and it would be all for nothing if a traitor from our group shows up now."

Everyone in the Room agreed to this statement. I was convinced that Hashimoto and Kito will not pull off anything now, since they do not know the identity of the VIP. Furthermore, I can safely assume that they will take part in the discussion, given that they were a part of the Sakayanagi faction. They would never obey Katsuragi's orders to get out of a sticky situation. It would evidently imply that Sakayanagi's strategy did not work, and Katsuragi would turn out to be the sole winner of the faction war in the Snake Group.

"Sure thing! What do you suggest, Takeyama-kun?" Shibata asked me with a relieved look on his face. He was probably under pressure to guide the group to victory. I wonder why people take the initiative to do something when they are not sure if they can achieve it themselves.

The plan was fairly simple.

*

(The Zodiac Exam Day 3; 6:37pm):

"Come on Rika, you try it to," Manabe said, urging her friend to raise her hand on the desperate and unarmed girl. "We're doing this for you, you know?"

"I-It's ok, I'll pass... "

"It's ok, no one's looking anyways," Manabe said. "You're my friend, right?"

The sentence which had a much deeper, hidden implication. If Rika did not bully Karuizawa, then she would inevitably be ostracized from the group. She might as well become the next target.

"A-Alright, I'll try... "

Pech! A dry and light sounding slap echoed in the room, which probably did not hurt Karuizawa in the least.

"Come on, you can do better," Manabe soothed. "I'll show you."

SLAP! A loud high pitched sound resonated in the stairwell, and Manabe laughed at the pleasure. Karuizawa reeled back in pain, her head hung low, tears streaming down her face.

SLAP! Another one sounded in the empty hall, sounded by Rika. Her lips curved upwards all so slowly, and she relished the joy in giving pain. She slapped Karuizawa once more, even harder. Another time. And one more.

"S-S-S-Stop... "

"Ha... this... is fun..." Rika breathed, as she proceeded to continue torturing the poor girl.

Rika continued her assault, punching and kicking her in various places. The girl tried to control her muffled sobs, but was interrupted by a fierce punch under her uniform. They had already started targeting places that were invisible to the naked eye, like under her hair and uniform.

I pocketed my phone, and quietly and slowly closed the door behind me, until Karuizawa's desperate screams were blocked by the door and soon could not be heard.

*

"We won't discuss anything until the last moment in today's meeting as well."

"Wait, seriously? Then how do you plan to achieve anything?" Ishizaki asked this question.

"I didn't say we wouldn't discuss anything," I corrected him. "We wouldn't discuss anything until the last moment. Essentially, the plan will be that everyone will take their phones and place it on the table, in front of you. You will not be allowed to touch your phone for whatsoever reason. The VIP will then reveal their identity to the rest of the Group. Since we do not have our phones, we will not be able to betray the group. Once the clock hits 9:30pm, we will take our phones and message the school the VIP's name. Fair enough?"

"But this does not include the case where the VIP is lying about being one," Hashimoto raised a natural defect. "How would we confirm the authenticity of the VIP's identity?"

"We've all received a mail from school which states whether you are a VIP or not," I said, answering Hashimoto. "Once we keep our phones, the VIP will stand up and take their own mobile phone, and show the mail to the rest of the Group. If further confirmation of the authenticity of the ownership of the phone is required, we can always call the number. It is a school rule that you cannot change your phone number, and it remains same throughout our school lives. It will guarantee the authenticity of the VIP's claim."

"How can we be sure that a traitor does not secretly pretend to be the VIP, and try to sabotage the Group?" Ishizaki asked one of the most unreasonable questions. The entire Room gawked at Ishizaki, some threatening to burst out laughing.

"What!? It was a valid question, right?"

"Ishizaki-kun, how can the traitor betray the group if everyone's phone is placed on the center table?" Shiina-san said in her dreamy, angelic voice, and Ishizaki immediately understood the stupidity of his question, and sat down, wallowing in embarrassment.

"Does anyone have any problem with this plan?" I asked one last time.

"What if we in Class A say that we have figured out the VIP?" Hashimoto suddenly spoke, drawing the attention of everyone in the Room.

"The V-V-VIP!? You found it?" Sho Shibata asked with a hint of fear in his voice.

"Yes, we have found it," Kito joined in. "It wasn't too hard, after all."

They were lying.

It was painfully obvious from the way Kito structured his sentence.

We have found it. A person would immediately be drawn to the usage of the pronoun 'it' in this sentence. If he really had found the VIP, wouldn't it be a better claim to use either 'him' or 'her', therefore clearly stating the gender of the VIP? Class A was currently trying to gauge the reactions of students to this statement: how everyone reacts, and is trying to narrow down the possibilities of the VIP. They hesitated to specify a gender, since if it turned out wrong, then it would be obvious to the VIP that they were bluffing.

"Then why haven't you already messaged the school, Class A?" I asked in a condescending voice. "Surely there is no point in wasting time and continuing to attend these meetings, right? Why haven't you ended the exam for us yet?"

"It would be far too easy a win then, wouldn't it?" Hashimoto scoffed. "Seeing that you guys were trying so hard, my poor heart will not be able to handle the guilt of being traitor."

The rest of the Group did not say anything, but it was clear that Hashimoto was lying. Class A could not gauge a favorable reaction from their statement, so they ditched their last-effort plan. Hashimoto simply smiled, and stretched back in the chair, evident that he would not try that trick again.

"So phones out, I guess," Shibata said, and we all put our phones on the center table, and returned to our seats.

*

I continued to hide my head in my hands, muffling, crying.

Why does it always have to be me?

Why is my life so horrible?

Why can't I just get a normal high school life?

I heard the door to the stairwell open, but I did not look up. I did not have the strength to look up. I felt a presence up close to me, but I kept my head down, trying to stop my labored breathing.

"Karuizawa."

I widened my eyes at the voice. I remember that cold, emotionless voice. Why was he here? I looked up, staring at him, and he stared back into my eyes, without a trace of sympathy on his face. Why did he come here if he wasn't going to help me? Had he seen me get bullied by Manabe and her gang? No, no it's not possible. I cannot anyone else in the school know about it, much less this bastard.

I did not say anything, and neither did he breach the topic. Slowly, my tears subsided, but the pain on my sides remained. I grew quiet, and there was silence in the hallway.

"Calmed down yet?"

He was the one to break the ice. "... more or less... where is Hirata... ?"

"He was supposed to come here, but he was called by a teacher at the last moment. So I came in his place," he said. He came in Hirata's place? How is that even supposed to help?

"Why are you crying?"

"... Manabe... I will not let them get away with this." My body unintentionally started shaking, and I tried my best to keep it under control. I cannot allow Ayanokoji to see this side of me.

"Don't you dare tell anyone that I cried. I won't forgive you if you do." He remained silent, and I continued to ponder upon my situation.

"You're a guy, right? Even someone like you will be able to get a payback from Manabe and her gang," I said, wiping tears from my eyes.

"That is out of the question," he replied.

"Are you afraid of them? And you claim to be a man..." I begrudgingly added.

"It is apparent from Sudo's incident that an eye for an eye will not solve anything. It will only make matters more complicated, and the school will force a thorough investigation on this. I'm pretty sure you don't want that," he said, completely blocking off my point.

"So you just want me to suck it up?" He did not answer, and my body involuntarily started shaking again, and I gave in to the temptations.

"It would be a shame if things returned to how they were. I can empathize with you on this."

My eyes widened, and I looked up at Ayanokoji. What did he mean by that? Surely, he doesn't know about my past? How could he know?

"W-W-What do you mean by that?" my voice trembled.

"What do I mean? Exactly what the sentence meant. The throne of the Leader of Class D girls belongs to you, but it does not change the fact that you are still a victim of bullying."

"B-Bullying!? Who's a victim of bullying!?"

"You, Karuizawa!" And with that, he grabbed my wrists, and shoved me up the wall.

"?!"

"You were tormented by Manabe and her gang, weren't you? They dragged your hair. They slapped your face. They kicked your breast, your waist and your stomach. And that's how you ended up on the ground, miserable, humiliated, pitifully sobbing."

I did not want to face him. I did not have the strength to. I did not want to look into his eyes. But it is said that darkness attracts darkness.

His eyes showed pure darkness, tormented by a past comparable to mine.

Not romantic in the least, just darkness.

*

Only 5 minutes remained, and the poker game had just got interesting.

"Full House," Hashimoto smirked, as he lay out his cards in front of us.

Yes. The moment I've been waiting for.

"Four of a Kind," I said lazily as I threw my four jacks on the table.

"Come on man, you've just plain rigged the deck," Hashimoto said in an annoyed voice as I pocketed 4,000 more Private Points.

To pass the lengthy 2 hours that we had remaining after we gave up our phones on the center table, Class A suggested that we play a no-barrier game of Poker, with Private Points on the line. Naturally, no one had anything to do, so we agreed to join. A few students, like Shiina-san and Mori-san, were not familiar with the rules, so they just watched from the sidelines. Of course, Shiina being the angel that she is, I could not bear to just leave her out, so I initiated conversations with her once in a while.

"That's like your 7th win," Ishizaki grumbled, as he took in the cards and started shuffling for the 21st round. "You're gonna get... 19,600 Private Points already!"

"I'm just getting lucky," I said nonchalantly. "Besides, Kito-kun is not far behind either, with 6 wins. If I'm not mistaken, he's on 13,000 Points." He was currently the person who challenged my position, but I wasn't going to back down that easily.

Most people think that Poker is a game of luck, but it is almost a game of 100% skill in the long run. Most professional players always have a good record in their games because they always choose the mathematically superior decision, thus leading to increased advantages over time. This may not wholly apply to a short stint like the one right now, but it definitely increases the chances of winning the game. Granted, luck is also involved in the game, as one cannot know which cards they will be handed out by the dealer in the beginning.

Till now, I've won 33% of the games, which is definitely a good score in Poker, seeing that there were 6 people playing the game.

"Should we stop here?" Shibata-kun asked. "We can disclose the identity of the VIP in around 5 more minutes. Since we haven't received any mail from the school which says that our Group Exam has been terminated, we can safely assume that no one has turned traitor in our Group."

"No, not now," Kito suddenly responded.

"Hmm? Why not?"

"I want to play another game. If I win this one, then I can be on equal footing with Takeyama-kun," Kito-kun said.

"Oh well. Looks like I have a rival now," I stated, as Ishizaki hurriedly distributed the deck.

"Alright. You got this one, Kito," Hashimoto said, as he checked through his cards.

"Takeyama, Shibata, you guys are small and big blinds," Ishizaki said. "Bets please." I noted down 500 Private Points as the Big Blind.

I turned my eyes down to look into my cards. 2 of Hearts, and 9 of Spades.

What?

This has got to be the worst hand in the entirety of Poker history. I've got almost no chance of winning this.

"Call," Kito said confidently, as he placed 600 Private Points. Did he have a good hand, or was he merely bluffing? Kito's face does not show much emotion, similar to Ayanokoji, so I couldn't be sure.

I don't have much to lose, I'll call this round.

"Call," I said as well, increasing the bet to 700 Points.

"Fold," Ishizaki grumbled. "I won only one game. You've got to be kidding me."

The round continued, and me and Kito were the only ones left. The pot currently held 3,200 Points. Thankfully, two 9's showed up on the table, so I could possibly win this one with 3 of a Kind. Everyone watched the game intently, and neither of us made a move.

"Show," Kito finally called out, and threw his cards down on the table.

He had a Four of a Kind.

"You win," I said, as I laid down my cards on the table. "I thought you were bluffing there."

"I got lucky," Kito said, as he noted down his gains. "It was a good game. I think this Special Exam was a bit too easy."

Everyone nodded, and looked at the time. It was 9:35pm, and we could now finally move ahead with the Exam.

"Alright, I was the VIP," I said, as I searched for my phone on the table. "Here's the mail that the school sent me, and I'm sure Shibata-kun has my number, so he can confirm it."

Shibata took out his own phone and called the number that said 'Takeyama Keisuke'. The phone in my hand buzzed alive, signaling that I was telling the truth.

"Well that was fun," Hashimoto said, as everyone swiped their phones from the table and started drafting mails to send to the school.

All mails were dispatched, and we left the Room.

*

"Spread your legs," I ordered.

Karuizawa, still crying, slowly drifted the 2 of her legs apart. I intentionally played with my metal belt buckle, but she was not perturbed in the least.

I stand correct. Karuizawa Kei is a usable tool. My goal is not her body. I'm threatening her to see how far she will go to protect what she has. It is a risky gamble for me to reveal my true nature. If she reports me to the school, then our positions would be completely reversed. But this girl cannot do it, because she is afraid of her past.

*

"Are these the only torments you experienced?"

"H-Huh?!" she screeched, and she involuntarily glanced at her left waist. I took my left hand and placed it there.

"N-Nooo!"

I pulled up her uniform to reveal an ugly scar on her beautiful skin, one that can only be caused by something sharp, like a blade or knife. This scar is not a a product of mere kids tormenting each other. This type of injury must have seriously endangered her life.

"I can promise you, Karuizawa, that I'm much more reliable than Hirata and Machida. I will protect you from intimidation."

"You mean you can stop Manabe... ?"

*

"Do you agree with this relationship? You act on my behalf. I act on yours. It is a mutually beneficial one. You will aid me, and I will aid you."

Karuizawa did not say anything. Because she can't say anything. She stared into my eyes. But this time, the emotion was not fear. She was puzzled; puzzled at the true nature of the man in front of her.

"What, my aid? What do you want me to do... ?"

"The way things are now, Class D will never be able to overtake Class A. Our individual abilities are passable, but our Class severely lacks cohesion. You will control the girls for me, Karuizawa-san, and the situation will slowly turn for the better."

"B-but how... ?"

"You'll help me win this Special Exam, because you're the ~~~~, aren't you?"

*

It was currently 10:55pm, and Horikita, Ayanokoji and I were sitting on a table at the second floor café, waiting for the results of the Special Exam to come in.

"I'm confident that the VIP was not found out in our Group," Horikita started, unable to bear the silence that me and Ayanokoji were used to. "What about you guys?"

"I'm not sure about the Rabbit Group, but I think a traitor has appeared," Ayanokoji said quietly, staring out into the ocean.

"The Snake Group overcame the Exam as one," I said. "We were there until the end. It's definitely Outcome 1 for us. But how come the Dragon Group, which has such big names, ended up with absolutely nothing? Are you saying you protected the VIP's identity until the end? So Outcome 2 is what you're thinking of, is it?"

"No, that is not wha-" BZZZZZ!

All our phones received a mail at the same time, indicating the arrival of the results.

"You open the mail first, Ayanokoji-kun," Horikita said.

"Sure." Saying so, Ayanokoji clicked on the mail, and read through it.

"Our Group achieved Outcome 4. The traitor was from Class A, and they guessed the VIP wrong. We gained 50 Class Points."

"W-Wait! The VIP of the Rabbit Group is from our Class!?" Horikita suddenly screeched. Did she not know that?

"Yes, it was Karuizawa Kei," Ayanokoji said nonchalantly. "I think I informed you about it."

"No, you definitely did not," Horikita said with an air of superiority about her. "I would have remembered if you did." Ayanokoji did not respond to this provocation.

I opened my mail, and read through it.

This is to inform the Snake Group that Outcome 1 has been achieved, where the VIP's identity was shared with the Group. Congratulations on clearing the Exam as one. There is no change in Class Points. The VIP has been awarded 1,000,000 Private Points, and the rest of the group has been awarded 500,000 Private Points.

"Outcome 1, uh?" Horikita peeked into my phone. "Not bad. I thought you would have gone for a more aggressive strategy, like in the Island Exam."

"I didn't feel like it," I said. "I'm lazy, after all."

"You're incorrigible," Horikita said with a hint of annoyance, and clicked on her mail.

"Outcome 1 as well?" I asked. "I thought you guys protected the VIP's identity."

"You didn't let me complete my sentence back then. We shared the VIP's identity 5 minutes before the exam ended, and then everyone sent the mails to school." So the same strategy as ours, uh?

Kushida Kikyo was the VIP of the Dragon Group, and that meant she would be given 1,000,000 Points. For some reason, it felt like a loss. Horikita should have tried to aim for Outcome 4 instead, knowing that the VIP was Kushida.

"I'm leaving," I said, as I got up from my seat. "Tomorrow's the last day on the cruise ship, I don't wanna compromise on my sleep. See ya."

I left the small group, and headed back to my Room. I drafted a quick text, and sent it to Ayanokoji, and then decided to hit the sack for the night.

A/N's:

I was binge reading CoTE Y2V5, and it's by far the best volume in the series. It's absolutely amazing. Kinu is a genius.

So that's the end of the Zodiac Exam as well! I didn't want much drama in this exam, cuz I wanted to develop the OC's character a bit more. Like how he completely disregards Class Points when compared to Private Points.

I'll end it here. Thank you for reading, cheers.

Chapter 26 - Another Like Me

(Speranza Day 7; Takeyama, Keisuke POV):

There was only one day left on the cruise ship, and I still hadn't experienced even half of the amenities that are available for students to use on this luxurious ride. And to complement that, all of them except the high-end restaurants and Pools were free of charge.

Well, I wasn't expecting anything but free of charge. If the school seriously decides to rake in our Private Points after throwing us into a Deserted Island for a week, and then springing an episode of Brain Games on us, I doubt many of them would like it.

I had not visited the swimming pool yet, now that I think about it.

Kushida had booked the entire pool for Class D so we could enjoy together, as a class. The private pool was one of the few amenities on-board that required you to shell out Private Points from your own pockets, considering how crowded it would be otherwise. So actually managing to book it for a good one hour would definitely not be taken lightly by the Class. Our pool time was scheduled for 1:00pm today afternoon, and I decided to join in as well. There would be no point in missing it out. Furthermore, the more people that come from Class D, the more we can actually divide the cost among ourselves. I did the average calculations in my head, and I came to a conclusion that it would not cost more than 2,000 Private Points per head.

But before I could immerse myself for the first time and actually enjoy myself on this cruise, there were certain things that I had to keep in mind. Or more like, had to solve. And one of them was Kikyo Kushida.

I had not contacted her even once after the ordeal of getting the Midterm Papers from the upperclassman almost a month and a half back. She had not initiated any contact with the unknown number either, possibly scared that her entire split personality proof currently was in my hands. But I was thinking of revealing myself to her.

Why? Because it would be beneficial for both me and her. I could have a better grasp on her movements, and she would have to listen to me, irrespective of whether I show myself or not. A face behind a mask irks an individual more than a face that is seen. My number one goal here was not to use Kushida.

It was to make Kushida trust me, and then use her.

Trust is a very subjective term. To one person, meeting a person maybe twice or thrice in their entire life was enough to get them to trust that person. To another, trust can take ages to form. Some people, like Ryuuen, completely disregard the concept of trust, and they trust only oneself. Unfortunately, an attitude like that would never help you reach Class A.

I needed Kushida-san to trust me. I would delete the recording in front of her when she does. I don't need to blackmail anyone to help me. I wanted them to do it because they are willing to help me. Once I have Kushida's trust, I can control many people indirectly. Her influence in the entire grade is not unknown, and both males and females would never think twice about whether to trust Kushida or not.

The time was 9:20am, and it was almost time. As if reading my thoughts, the door to the northern deck opened, and a young man with brown hair walked onto the deck, and took his place by my side.

"Good morning, Ayanokoji-kun," I started.

"... good morning," he said monotonously. I still have to grasp this man's character. He's too hard to read.

"It seems your Snake Group passed this Exam quite easily," he said. "I thought you would have gone for bolder tactics."

"We both know that is not true," I replied. "You know me, Ayanokoji. I'm not the type to run after Class Points when I see them. I weigh my options and take the decision that will help me in the long run."

"What if we lose out on a chance to reach Class A by a margin of 50 Points or lesser?" he asked. Was he trying to test me?

"I don't think that would be my fault," I said. "The school year has just started. There are still 2 years left in this school. There will be more than enough Special Exams to gain Class Points. In fact, the current rankings are nothing more than eyewash; it can change easily. I would not be surprised if we get a completely unexpected chart by the end of the First Year itself."

"But I'm still surprised you chose Private Points over Class Points," he interjected. "You were the VIP; you had complete control over the situation in the Group. You could have led the result to either Outcome 2 or 4. The 50 Class Points that we might have achieved would have eventually payed out into Private Points."

"I'm more inclined towards a high risk, high reward situation," I stated. "You tell me — 1,000,000 Private Points at once, or 500,000 Private Points and a long waiting time for the rest of the cash to show up? I would choose the former. If you think that the second option is better, then I believe we think on different wavelengths."

"Of course. It would be unnatural to think of the same thing, after all," he said. "It destroys the entire purpose of diversity. We think differently, so we achieve things in different ways. Nothing wrong with that."

The conversation lulled a bit, and the 2 of us stared out into the ocean.

"Why did you call me here?" he finally asked.

"Nothing grand. I wanted to know what you did in the Rabbit Group to achieve Outcome 4."

"I did not do anything. I just swapped phones with Yukimura, Sotomura and Karuizawa, and we managed to fool the rest of the Group. Everyone had at first promised to not turn traitor, but looks like someone from Class A did turn into one after all."

"Karuizawa-san was the VIP, right? So you were able to convince her to help you in your plan?" I asked.

"She helped only under the notion that she would get a lot of Private Points out of it. Everyone thinks that Horikita was the one who came up with the plan after all, so they did not mind listening to me. Was it wrong?"

"No, nothing like that. It just seemed a bit off to me that someone with a headstrong attitude like Karuizawa-san would willingly listen to you just by taking Horikita's name. I did not know Horikita had already begun to accumulate such authority over the class, more so with the girls."

"But it looks like it is working," Ayanokoji responded. "After the Deserted Island Test, everyone seems to trust Horikita. It's inevitable."

"I see."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Are you sure you didn't convince Karuizawa-san some other way?"

"I don't see where this question is coming from."

"I'm still a bit skeptical of the fact that she willingly listened to you just because you mentioned Horikita. Not even a bit of resistance?" I pressed further.

"I did not say that. There was resistance, but she ultimately understood that this was for the Class. She agreed afterwards," Ayanokoji replied.

I decided to not push the topic any further. However, certain suspicions continued to brew within me. I would have to quell myself later.

"Speaking of which, who was the traitor in the Rabbit Group?" I asked.

"Takuro Morishige, Class A."

"A Class A student? Perhaps from the Sakayanagi Faction?"

"That is the same conclusion I have drawn as well, yes. I can confirm it via Ichinose, though," Ayanokoji replied.

"There would not be any other reason. Class A in the Rabbit Group was purely following Class A's defensive strategy, the one that Katsuragi had set up. A violation of that would mean that the traitor does not support Katsuragi's decision, and his way of doing things. I believe this is the sole reason there was a traitor in the group. That leads me to another question. Did anyone from the other classes not think about making a phone call to confirm the ownership of the phone that the VIP possessed? An exchange in phones could be easily identified that way."

"I already had that planned out," Ayanokoji replied nonchalantly. "We exchanged our phones and I used Private Points from Chabashira-sensei to unlock my SIM, and exchange it with Karuizawa's phone. According to the Group, I was the traitor, even after Ichinose made a phone call on my phone."

"So you're telling me that you posed as the VIP, and exchanged phones with Yukimura, but he did not know that you had exchanged numbers as well?"

"You're a fast learner."

"It wasn't that hard to figure out. But that would mean that in the Rabbit Group, only you and Karuizawa-san knew about the fact that the numbers were exchanged as well? Barring Ichinose, who probably figured it out after the exam."

"Essentially. It was a simple plan-in-a-plan. Nothing else."

"You see how important Private Points are now, right? I'm assuming that unlocking the SIM on 2 phones would not have been cheap, considering that Chabashira-sensei was your dealer. I almost pity you."

"You make it sound like a drug deal."

"I didn't know you had a sense of humor, Ayanokoji," I chuckled.

"I didn't intend to make it funny," said Ayanokoji. "You seem to be well versed in the language that drug dealers use. From experience, perhaps?"

"You got me there."

"Wait, seriously?"

"Learn to take a joke, man."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"What do you think of Class A?" Ayanokoji suddenly asked me.

"They seem to all have very high individual abilities, but they absolutely lack cohesion. They won't get far with this sort of attitude. If I remember correctly, Class A has lost 200 Class Points in this Zodiac Exam, and that is probably the final blow that will push Katsuragi off the Class A throne."

"That reminds me, Class C performed exceptionally well in this exam," brooded Ayanokoji. "I got a detailed list of the results that each group got in the Exam from Hirata." Saying so, Ayanokoji took out his phone, and messaged me a picture. My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I took a good look at it.

"Class C had correct traitor assessments in 4 Groups," Ayanokoji explained. "The Rat, Horse, Rooster and Pig. All traitors were from Class C in these groups. From what I saw in the members of these groups, none of them are great; all mediocre students who would probably find it hard to blend in well in these exams."

"Are you perhaps implying that Class C had found out some sort of trick to determine who is the VIP in each Group?"

Ayanokoji nodded, and I looked through the picture once again. He was indeed telling the truth. Class C had correct traitor assessments in 4 groups. There were only 2 groups where Outcome 4 was the result: the Rabbit Group (Ayanokoji's Group) and the Cow Group. In the Cow Group, the traitor was from Class C, which led to a penalty of 50 CP's for Class C.

However, that is pretty much negated by the fact that in 4 other Groups, Class C had managed to secure 50 Points each, for a total of 200 CP's. Coupled with the penalty, Class C ended this exam on a high, with a bonus of 150 Class Points.

But what struck me as odd was that if Class C really had figured out a way to know the VIP's beforehand, why did Ryuuen not turn traitor and end the exam for the Dragon Group? I was sure that only Ryuuen could have come up with this strategy, if Class C really had a way to know the VIP's. Why did it not happen in my Group either? Ishizaki is a close lackey of Ryuuen, it felt unnatural that he did not know about this.

This situation would also explain Kouenji Rokusuke's decision to turn traitor. He had probably figured the method out before anyone else, and ended the Monkey Exam then and there, because he certainly thought it was a waste of his precious time.

"Did you figure it out?" asked Ayanokoji, who was intently staring at me.

"I think I did," I said slowly, choosing my words carefully. "You think that the VIP was decided based on alphabetical order?"

"I've come to the same conclusion."

"That does make a little sense. Kei Karuizawa, Keisuke Takeyama, Kikyo Kushida... all the names start with a K. It does seem a bit odd, though it could be coincidence."

"Maybe that is why Ryuuen did not try it in his group," suggested Ayanokoji. "He was not sure of this strategy, and whether it would actually work. If it turned out to be wrong, he would become the laughing stock of the Dragon Group. So to gain Class Points, Ryuuen experimented with 4 of the remaining Groups, and asked them to turn traitor after arranging the names in alphabetical order."

"Just to confirm his theory, eh?"

"Yes. I do not know about how Kouenji figured it out, but I think he was thinking along the same lines, and he correctly assessed the VIP's identity that way."

"The class would really benefit by a ton if Kouenji would just stop being a prick," I said in an annoyed voice.

"But that is his defect, right?" said Ayanokoji. "The reason he's in Class D. His narcissistic behavior is his defect."

"What do you think is your defect, Ayanokoji?"

"My defect?"

"Yes. I want to know why someone like you was placed in Class D."

"I could throw the same question back at you," Ayanokoji replied.

"Of course you can. But if I had to take a guess, I think you and I have the same defect. The reason both of us are in Class D is the same."

"I don't understand."

"We hold back, Ayanokoji. We hold back our true abilities. That is our defect. We do not use our talents to benefit society. The school deems that as a defect, even though I personally think that it is an individual's choice to decide how they want to use their abilities."

"... you may be right."

"I heard from an upperclassman that there was another student besides me who got an interesting score in the entrance exam. I'm pretty sure it doesn't take a genius to figure out that the person was you, Ayanokoji."

"I've come too far to deny your statement. But I would like to know this upperclassman's name. It seems someone else other than Chabashira-sensei is now interested in the two of us."

"Vice President Nagumo Miyabi. He came off as a very sketchy character to me. I wouldn't mix with him if I were you. Manabu Horikita was there as well, but that man has come to gain my respect. Did you know about my scores as well?"

"I did. Chabashira-sensei had called me to her office on 1st May, when the S-System was disclosed to the Class. She made me hide inside a kitchen cupboard and listen to Horikita's rants about how she should be placed in a higher Class."

"You're telling me Horikita knows about your scores as well?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

"She does. She knows my scores as well as yours."

"That would mean that you were aware of my abilities even before you talked to me for the first time," I said in an irritated voice. So Chabashira-sensei had just blown off my cover like that? "I wonder why sensei chose to call only you and not me? After all, if it were about scores, then I don't see why I was left out of that meeting."

"I'm not sure either. But it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the only reason Horikita actually talked to you is because of these scores that she got to know that day," Ayanokoji replied.

"I'm not surprised; I was a bit alarmed as well when Horikita approached me for no reason. I was under the assumption that she didn't talk to anyone in class except you."

"She doesn't, to be honest. However, once sensei let slip to her that 'Takeyama and Ayanokoji are much smarter than you, they'll help you reach Class A', she suddenly developed a keen interest in you."

"Damn that woman. Here I am, trying to lead a normal, high-school life with friends, and sensei comes out of nowhere and exposes me to the one person I did not want this information to reach. I'm almost sure she did this purposely."

"I would assume that she has an ulterior motive; a reason as to why she is so hell-bent on reaching Class A."

"Maybe there's something in it for the teachers? You never know, maybe the Class A teachers have a higher pay or something."

"You think she's doing this for the salary?" Ayanokoji asked with a hint of exasperation in his voice.

"People sway when money is involved, Ayanokoji, just like how I was swayed in this exam at the information of 1,000,000 Private Points," I replied.

"You're unnecessarily antagonizing yourself; we're students. Students whose entire life right now depends on Private Points and Class Points. If we're doing something that will eventually help us secure a future, I don't see the harm in it."

The gentle, salty ocean breeze suddenly increased its speed, and it hit us on the face. The Sun was up in the sky, blazing down on our backs. I really would miss this weather once classes started again.

"Chabashira-sensei has a different reason altogether," Ayanokoji said. "Has she told you?"

"She has. From what I've heard, she was once in Class D, just like us. Back then, the battles between the classes were much closely fought. A mistake on her part led to the downfall of her class. I wouldn't say that I didn't feel bad, but I didn't see a reason as to why she would tell that," I said.

"Perhaps a grudge?" Ayanokoji guessed.

"I would say an incomplete desire. Chabashira-sensei wanted to reach Class A with all her heart, and she failed because of her own mistake. She's trying to fulfil her unachieved dream by forcing it onto the 2 of us," I said.

"I don't see how that's my problem."

" Our problem," I corrected him. "We're both in this together; might as well cooperate."

"I have no issues with that. Given that you'll be the one to take the credit, right?" Ayanokoji asked.

"Horikita will be the scapegoat, like always," I smirked. "But in case that is not possible, I will take the credit. Your involvement will not be highlighted at any point."

"I accept," said Ayanokoji.

"Another question, before I forget. There is no point in hiding your relation with Kei Karuizawa now. If we're working together, I must say that we should keep the trust to a maximum. Of course, I will not involve myself in your personal affairs, and you will keep out of mine," I added, as a last bit of precaution.

Ayanokoji stayed silent for a while. "How did you know about Karuizawa? Something gave it away?"

"No, nothing. I just guessed, and you confirmed it for me. A lucky break, if I may," I added.

"I wasn't expecting that. Then maybe you could tell me about Kikyo Kushida."

"Looks like we cannot hide anything from each other," I said, my lips turning upwards into a smile. "I'm not sure what I should do about her yet; she does not know of my presence. But I'll figure it out soon enough."

Ayanokoji nodded, and the 2 of us shook hands, sealing the deal to work together towards reaching Class A.

A/N's:

This chapter took me quite a bit of brainstormingto write. I was so confused as to what to write about, but then once the ideas started, they did not stop. Writing a story is very weird \_(ツ)/

Alright, thank you for reading! We're officially done with volume 4 here as well. I'm not sure if I should write volume 4.5, because it doesn't really have much development, and it's a bit irrelevant to the plot. I might finish it off in one chapter, I guess.

The next is the Sports Festival, which is honestly not very interesting. I'll try to add some spice into it, so I'll be thinking about some stuff; the next update will probably be a bit later than usual, but it's definitely gonna come soon!

Cheers. Please vote for Takeyama and Ayanogod!

Chapter 27 - Dictator

(Day 7; 11:35am; Takeyama, Keisuke POV):

I slowly made my way down the stairs, with Ayanokoji trailing right behind me. The conversation that we recently had lulled out into nothingness, until we were basically just staring out into the ocean, saying nothing to each other. Eventually, we wordlessly decided that the awkwardness had reached a point of no return, and we made out way down the deck.

I parted with Ayanokoji at the lobby, and he seemingly made his way back to the guest cabins. I asked him whether he had plans to go to the swimming pool along with Class D at 1:00pm today afternoon, but he gave me a vague reply, saying that he wasn't sure, since he wasn't 'acquainted' with many of his classmates. Honestly, I feel he's been using that excuse for quite some time now, and it's getting painfully clear that he just despises crowds. Not that it is bad, in any way.

I don't like crowds all that much either. Staying with too many people who you don't exactly give a shit about takes a toll on your mind. I made my way over to another part of the deck, and stood by the railings again. If I had to make calculations, I would say that 40% of my waking hours were spent on the deck, just staring out into the ocean and feeling the breeze on my face. I wondered whether I came across as a loner to people who notice me spending way too much time on the deck.

"Kuku, enjoying the view, eh?" a mocking voice sounded behind me, and I turned to find the source. In front of me stood a man with a medium stature, and long magenta-colored hair, a.k.a the ruling dictator of Class C, Ryuuen Kakeru.

"It's a nice view," I replied nonchalantly. "The ocean, the sun and the wind from the deck of a luxury cruise liner is not something that you get to see everyday."

"But you are seeing it everyday, aren't you?" Ryuuen said. "You lounge around this place way too often for it to go unnoticed, you know."

"I have no intentions of going unnoticed; I'm not hiding, after all."

"Kuku. You say you want to be noticed, but your Class results say otherwise," he sassed.

"I don't know what you mean," I said.

"Don't go acting all innocent. You're the one who's pulling Suzune's strings, aren't ya? You're the one who pulled off some sort of shit on the Island, and now you're trying to blend in with the Class by taking the Zodiac Exam lightly. Nothing misses my eye, yeah?"

"I don't see what's wrong with trying to get a cooperative outcome with the Group," I said scathingly. "It is what is best suited for the Group."

"Best suited for the Group? Don't give me that. You were the VIP of the Snake Group, right? You could have turned the outcome around if you'd just been a little more proactive. You purposely sabotaged this Exam because you wanted to lay low. It worked on the Baldie and Goody-Two Shoes, but such pranks don't work on me," Ryuuen replied. "Besides, you didn't deny your involvement in the Island Exam, right?"

"Even if I did deny my involvement, you wouldn't have believed me. Why waste my breath when the opposing party isn't willing to change their opinion whatsoever?"

Ryuuen's smile slightly faltered, but it was almost unnoticeable. "Tell me, what did you do on the Island? I want a clear answer if you wanna get out of here in one piece."

"You're not going to turn this into a violent brawl, are you?"

"Kuku, who knows?"

"I have no intention of telling you my Class's strategy in this Exam. What's in the past is in the past. It would be in best interest if you started preparing for the upcoming Special Exams instead," I replied.

"So you aren't going to tell me? Kuku, maybe then I could tell the grade about your involvement as the Class D mastermind? You wouldn't like that, would you? As someone who prefers to stay in the shadows, your actions will be out in the open. You'll be defenseless."

"I wonder about that."

"Hmm?"

"I have much greater influence over the grade than you, Ryuuen. Your words don't mean jackshit compared to mine. Even if you go around telling the whole grade that I'm the mastermind, no one will believe you. You don't have the trust of a single person in your class, leave alone the grade. Besides, everyone is already convinced that Horikita is the Class Leader. Your threat does not hold any value, and it does not bother me in the least."

Ryuuen, instead of being provoked by my harsh judgement, merely laughed, and placed himself to my right on the deck. He looked out into the ocean, before staring at me with an unnerving gaze.

"The view is actually good," he said unexpectedly.

"I'm sorry?"

"I said the view is good. You hard of hearing?"

"I heard it. I was just surprised that someone like Kakeru Ryuuen would say something normal like that," I muttered under my breath.

"Kuku, you think I'm not marveled by beauty? I'm a human just like you, eh?" he said, taking a sudden gentler attitude towards me.

"Is this the only reason you came to talk to me? To tell me that I half-assed the Zodiac Exam?"

"Maybe, maybe not."

"Tch." It's been a while since someone actually pissed me off. Ryuuen is someone who can irritate people just by being there. While his personality is down in the dumps, I cannot refute the fact that he is an able leader, one who will be a major hurdle in my path to Class A.

"I hear that you and Shiina got along well," he suddenly stated, taking the conversation on an unexpected tangent.

"We have a lot in common. We're both solitary, and we both love books. We could bond over these simple terms. I believe she's in your Class, Ryuuen?"

"She is. I would've never expected that nerd to actually get friends."

"You're talking down to her, Ryuuen. She's a great person. You'll know once you realize that she's an amazing person to talk to."

"I know, and I've come to extend my sincere thanks to you for talking to her."

My mouth dropped open for the second time in this conversation. I had expected that this conversation would not go well; I was expecting some form of alliance, or looming threat when Ryuuen arrived. But surprisingly, he was docile, and willing to actually come give his gratitude. I still couldn't be sure if he was joking or not. But knowing his personality, he probably was.

"I'll get going, I have an appointment with the rest of my Class now," I said, as I prepared to leave for my Room to get my swimming trunks.

"I'll personally come and crush you, Takeyama," Ryuuen suddenly said, turning towards me. "You can't cower under Suzune's shadow anymore. Now that I know, all my attacks will be focused on you. You better be ready if don't wanna get your ass whooped."

"I'll be waiting for it, Ryuuen." I turned around to leave.

"By the way, did Class C figure it out?" I asked a last question.

"Figure out? The hell you're talking about?"

"I meant the VIP's. You guys figured out the pattern, did you not?"

Ryuuen widened his eyes, and looked at me like I was the most interesting object he's ever seen. "Kuku, Takeyama, I'm sure you'll entertain me in the future. You're capable of doing so. As a parting gift, I'll tell you. I did figure out the algorithm with which they decided the VIPs. I wasn't sure though, and I couldn't risk getting them wrong. After all, only 3 people from Class C ended up being the VIP, and I had to make do with that much information."

"I see. Thank you for answering me. Guess I'll get going now," I said.

"Tell Kikyo and Suzune that they look stunning in their swimsuits for me, will ya?"

"..."

*

The men's locker room was vile, to say the least.

"Damn, we're finally gonna get to see all those thighs and bodies! They'll all be swooning over my abs!" Yamauchi screamed in delight, as he took off his shirt to reveal his not-so-good physique.

"Oh yeah? That's a challenge? I'll be the one to sweep Horikita off her feet!" Sudo joined in, and took off his shirt as well, to show an actually toned body.

"I don't care what you guys are going on about, I'm just hoping I don't get a boner!" Ike said, rapidly breathing up and down to calm his nerves.

Don't worry, Ike. Even if you do get a boner, no one will see it.

"Ayanokoji, do you work out?" Sudo suddenly asked, and half of the boys turned in his direction. Ayanokoji indeed was well-built — he had particularly well developed forearms, and a strong abdomen.

"Not really," Ayanokoji denied. "I was just blessed with good genes, that's all."

The class was convinced with his explanation, but Sudo continued to stare at him, probably not satisfied. He then suddenly turned to look at me, and scanned me over like they do at Airport Security.

"Takeyama, are you gonna tell me that you have good genes too?" Sudo asked. The class was then focused on me.

"I used to work out a bit in middle school," I said. "I don't really do anything special. Just your normal jogging and push-ups."

Before Sudo could ask any more questions regarding my physique, I pushed him out into the Pool Area.

"Woah..."

The Private Pool was humongous. Our Class had booked 5 lanes of the pool, and that was more than enough, considering that only about 20 people showed up. The Pool was complete with on-duty lifeguards, dive boards, and even a first floor beach-style café. Granted, that this entire set-up did not come at a low cost, but it was definitely going to be worth it.

"Wait, why aren't the girls here yet?!" Ike screamed, frantically staring at the door of the girl's changing room.

"Girls take a bit more time to change, they'll be out soon," Sudo replied.

"Damn I can't wait to see them! There's Haruka Hasebe, who's rumored to have the biggest breasts in Class! No wait, there's Sakura-san! Sakura-san is the one with the biggest boobs, Hasebe-san is next! And then there's obviously Kikyo-chan, and then —"

I ejected myself from this group before I came to be labelled as a pervert by the girls. I really wanted to stop the 3 Idiots from trying to violate the girl's privacy, but I don't think my saying is gonna help in any way. I cannot stop an entire horde of horny teenage boys all by myself.

There were a few students who also disassociated themselves from the conversation, including Ayanokoji. I looked at him, and he caught my eye, before coming to stand next to me by the pool edge.

"Wanna race?" I asked. "Don't tell me that you're bad at swimming. There's no point lying now."

"I would have if we were not surrounded by everyone else in our Class," Ayanokoji responded. "I don't want to reveal my abilities in front of them."

"Fair enough."

"What about you? Are you gonna swim full speed? I'm pretty sure that the boys will be hyped up for a race. The girls are watching, after all."

"I'll make it in at third or fourth place. Sudo will probably take first, followed by either Miyake or Hirata. It's best to come after them," I said.

"Speaking of which, Kouenji did not show up today."

"Were you expecting him to?"

"No."

"... Takeyama-kun!" I heard my name being called out, and I turned to see Mori-san, Sato-san and Chiaki calling out to me. I bid farewell to Ayanokoji, and headed to meet them. Hirata was there as well.

"Hello, Keisuke," Hirata smiled at me warmly. "Care for a volleyball match? We've got a ball right here."

"Sure. I don't see why I should disagree."

With that, we entered the pool, and split ourselves into 2 teams. My team consisted of me, Sato-san, Kushida-san, Miyake-kun and Chiaki, while the opposing team consisted of Hirata, Sudo, Mori-san, Hasebe-san and Inogashira-san.

"Yeah, we'll show them what it's like to play pool volley!" Sudo shouted out. "3 sets, 11 points each. That okay?"

"And the winner treats the other group lunch," I added another condition.

"What!? Takeyama, you sure?" Miyake was the one who asked me this. "They've got Sudo and Hirata on their team, you know?"

"That's alright! Don't tell me you've already given up?" I poked at Miyake, and he vigorously agreed to the conditions.

"Alright, start!"

*

(The Private Pool Day 7; Ayanokoji, Kiyotaka POV):

"You're kidding me..."

"No way..."

Murmurs arose from the rest of the audience as they gawked at the match.

The score currently stood at 1-1, with each team having won one set. The decider set was going on, and the score currently read 10-2. Takeyama was destroying the other team, alone.

" Huff, puff, you're kidding me, right?" Sudo asked panting in the pool. "You're totally a champ at this. Have you played pool volley before, Takeyama?"

"Not really," he said. "This is my first time."

"First time!? That's impossible. You've scored 6 consecutive points already! Have you been holding back?"

"Nope, I just feel rather energetic today. Also, I want that lunch."

"Don't worry, Sudo-kun!" Hirata reassured him. "There's still time for a counter-attack! We can get them back!"

Saying so, Miyake tossed the ball up in the air, and smashed it onto the other side of the pool. He seemed to be aiming it at Inogashira-san, but Sudo intercepted the ball and flung it high into the air.

"Hirata, get it!!"

Hirata swiftly swam in the direction of the ball, and jumped as high as he could to reach the ball. He connected, and smashed the ball in the other direction. Miyake tossed the ball back up before it hit the water, but the direction seemed to have gone a bit awry. Matsushita-san was on the other side, and she tossed the ball up beautifully, and Takeyama timed the last shot perfectly to land it right dead-center of the pool, and they won the point, and the game.

"Damn, Takeyama's insane," Ike whispered to no one in particular. "He even has Sudo beat when it comes to volleyball. And I thought Sudo was the best in our Year."

"Oh no! I can't have Takeyama stealing our girls anymore! Kanji, we need a plan!" Yamauchi whispered furiously into Ike's ear. He then turned to me.

"Ayanokoji, join in! It's the Peek-At-The-Girls-To-Satisfy-Libido Plan!" said Yamauchi.

I did not reply, and I made my way to the café to grab a light lunch along with everyone else. I noticed Karuizawa-san looking at my direction, but she immediately averted her gaze when I caught her staring.

I was surprised she even came to the Pool. I would have thought she wouldn't come, because it would be a pain to change in front of everyone else while hiding her scar. But she was wearing a rash guard, so it looks like it wasn't much of a problem. Was she finally coming to terms with her past?

My attention was diverted by Takeyama staring at me and Karuizawa-san in a back-and-forth manner. Then, for an unknown reason, he raised his right hand and pointed a thumbs-up in my direction.

What? Was there a meaning behind the thumbs-up?

I thought about going and confronting him about it, but he was immediately swarmed by the girls of our class, and a few girls from other classes who had been watching the game from the other side of the Pool.

I decided to approach him later.

(ANHS Campus; Takeyama, Keisuke POV):

The Cruise Ship Trip was finally over, and everyone was back in their dorms. Most of the students had already started spending their last 2 days of summer vacation left to enjoy themselves in the school with their newly earned Private Points from the Zodiac Exam. The Class Rankings would change as soon as the classes start. The Rankings wouldn't change, per se, but Class A would definitely be in a more precarious position now, since they'd lost 200 Class Points in the Zodiac Exam, and gained only 120 Class Points on the Island Exam.

The net profits/losses currently looked like this:

Class A -- 120 (from island) -200 (from zodiac) = -80 CP -- 924 CP
Class B -- 140 (from island) -0 (from zodiac) = 140 CP-- 803 CP
Class C -- 0 (from island) 150 (from zodiac) = 150 CP -- 642 CP
Class D -- 225 (from island) 50 (from zodiac) = 275 CP-- 433 CP

I could see from the mental table that I had made for myself in my head that the Class Rankings did not change. However, a combination of both exam results inexplicably shows that this was a major win for Class D. Granted that we were still yet to overtake any of the classes, but we were the Class with the largest gains. This should be enough to make the other classes wary of us now. Ryuuen has already shown his wish to target me specifically, so I must make sure to prepare for his onslaught.

Our class went swimming.

Again.

It was the last day of summer vacation, and the pool was kinda crowded. There were students from various other classes, such as Class B, and a few second years as well. We wouldn't get to actually swim properly in such a throng.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Ike and Yamauchi glaring at all the girls who passed by. But all attention was suddenly centered around one spot of the girl's locker room. I turned to see Ichinose Honami standing there in her swimsuit, which was a sight to behold, even for someone who wasn't very interested in the opposite sex, like myself.

Her curves and generous proportions were almost too perfect for any of the boys in the pool to handle. Ichinose, however, completely oblivious to the surrounding stares, bounced up and down at the arrival of her friends from Class B and sped towards the pool.

"Wow, wow, wow, wow!" Yamauchi screamed.. "This pool is amazing! I can literally see it! I can see those things bounce up and down! Heh Kanji, you placed the RC at the correct position right?" Yamauchi suddenly lowered his voice.

"What? Yeah, of course. You were there. We're gonna have a feast tonight in Ayanokoji's Room!" Ike drooled at the thought of something vulgar.

Feast? RC? Don't tell me these fools are...

I turned to look at Ayanokoji, who was currently being checked out by Ichinose. I was slightly jealous at this sight, but I guess there's nothing to be done about that.

"You're wearing a rash guard?" I asked as I approached Ayanokoji. "That's a surprise."

"I don't actually like showing my skin in public," he replied.

"Are you part of some sort of peeping-tom plan?" I changed the topic.

"...?"

"Ike and Yamauchi were talking about some sort of RC controller being placed in the correct position, and they talked about meeting up in your room. Don't tell me can't control your horni-"

"I know that already. I've asked Karuizawa-san to remove the memory card after entering the locker room, and replace it with an empty one, once all the girls have left the locker room."

"Looks like you have that handled then," I sighed, looking at the poor Ike and Yamauchi jumping up and down at the thought of their brilliant little plan.

Our conversation was interrupted by increasingly loud cheers at the last pool. Everyone's eyes were now fixated on a Pool Volleyball match. The first Pool was mostly for idle swimming and races, the second pool was some sort of makeshift river, with a small current flowing from the north to the south end. The last pool was mainly for sporting events, like the current volleyball game.

From the looks of it, they were second years. All gazes and cheering were focused on one individual, with his slim yet toned body, and handsome face.

"Nagumo... "

"He was there during our Trial," Ayanokoji told me. "I had noticed that he had taken quite an interest in you. I saw him stop to talk to you after the trial that day."

"So you noticed that day too, uh? You were with the Student Council President too. We've both attracted attention of the Student Council as well. I wonder what you did to get Manabu Horikita to acknowledge you?"

Ayanokoji opened his mouth to say something, but he closed his mouth before a sound could come out. Was he not willing to tell me about the little run-in he had with the President in that back alley back in May? He obviously did not know that I was present during the incident as well. Or maybe he did.

"I ran into him a while back," Ayanokoji said. "There was a dispute between his sister and the President, and I stepped in to intervene before things got out of hand."

"So the relation between Horikita-san and her President nii-san is a bit strained?"

"You can say that."

Just then, there was a sickening crack, and a second year student in the Pool clutched his face, with a hint of red dripping down his nose. Nagumo had just smashed the ball in from the other side, and it had hit the poor second year on his face. He exited the pool, with a hand still over his nose.

"Hey, we can't continue the match now! We're lacking in numbers!" random student 1 shouted.

"Yeah, maybe we should abandon the game," random student 2 agreed.

"Abandon? Don't be a wuss. We'll just remove one player from our team," random student 3 from Nagumo's team shouted.

"Now, now, there's no need to panic," Nagumo calmly stated, with a smile plastered across his face. "We can just have someone else join in their team. Alas, I like to be fair, and there are quite a few first years watching this little game of ours. Perhaps we have a volunteer from there?"

"Hey Nagumo, quit joking around! Why are you allowing the first years to join in?!" random student 1 shouted again.

"Is there a problem with a first year joining in?" Nagumo raised his eyebrows.

One thing that I have noticed in the second year is that instead of being divided up Class-wise, they're rather strong together. And Nagumo had most of the second year students under his charms. Therefore, any resentment against Nagumo would be detrimental to those second year students, and they're immediately dropped down on the social ladder.

"No... it's just... " random student 1 started fumbling with his words.

"If there's no problem, can I perhaps nominate someone from the first year as a selfish desire of mine?"

Crap.

Hide.

"Ayanokoji, hide me," I said, as I jumped back behind his back.

"You think he's going to choose you?"

"There's a high possibility," I said, crouching behind.

"Hey Takeyama, why don't you go?" Sudo suddenly asked me, looking down at me. "You're good at this, right?"

I opened my mouth to protest, but was immediately clamored down by my own classmates.

"Yeah, Takeyama, you can go and represent the entire first year!" Ike screamed.

"That's a great idea! Takeyama-kun, you should go!"

There was already too much attention and fuss centered around me. There was no point in crouching behind anymore. Nagumo was already looking in my direction, showing off his beautifully arranged white teeth in the progress.

"What a coincidence! I was going to call you, kouhai! Looks like your fellow classmates beat me to the punch!" Nagumo stated, flipping his wet blond hair in the process.

"Good luck," Ayanokoji said, as I begrudgingly walked over to the other side of the pool. The first years all started cheering for me; maybe that was a good thing.

"Good evening, Nagumo-senpai," I said, as I slowly lowered myself into the pool. "Why were you going to choose me?"

"Is that really a question, kouhai?" Nagumo asked me. "It's merely because you're my friend!"

Friend?

Murmurs arose from the second year crowds at this revelation. The second years were all eyeing me warily, maybe expecting to notice what part of me piqued Nagumo's attention.

"Well, there's no point wasting anymore time!" Nagumo said, clapping his hands in the process. "As of now, the score stands 2-0, and it is the last set, my team currently leading 8-3. The outcome of the final set doesn't matter anyways, but you're playing this for pride. So don't dilly-dally in the pool, kouhai."

I cannot, and I couldn't dilly-dally in the pool. I was collectively chosen as the first year's representative player, and I, right now, held the expectations of all my classmates. I also couldn't play horribly just to end the match quicker; my entire class has already seen me play on the Cruise Ship, and I couldn't hold back. I found myself in quite an amusing situation.

I swam over to the other side of the pool, and stood my position on the right flank, at the center. This was usually the place where the ball usually comes after heavy spikes. Again, it doesn't really matter where I stand in the pool; I'm sure Nagumo will aim the ball at me anyways.

"Hey, underclassman, you better not drag us down," random student 2 warned me.

"What were you doing in the first 2 sets then?"

I heard a few snickers arise from the second year crowds, and all the girls suddenly focused their attention between me and Nagumo. So this is what they call popularity, uh?

The ball was tossed up in the air, and the game began.

*

Even though I was in a pool, you'd argue and say that 'Pool Volleyball is much simpler than the real things cuz you don't sweat and get tired in a pool'. Well, it's the exact opposite. Resistance by water against your body is much more than air resistance, so it naturally requires much more force just to move your body around. Not to mention the force required by the legs to jump against the water's buoyant force, it makes this sport very tiring and draining.

The score was not currently 10-9, in Nagumo's favor. I had managed to tip the scale in out direction a bit, and there were audible gasps and furious whispering among the audience, occasionally looking and pointing in my direction.

"Kouhai, you've managed to drag this match out for too long," Nagumo said. "Seriously, I really underestimate you. You're very talented."

"I'm honored to hear that come directly from the Vice-President," I said. Saying so, Nagumo tossed up the ball and served it in our direction. An easy service to receive.

The ball beautifully swerved in the direction opposite to me, and it was received by random student 1. The ball went up and about to the other side of the pool. A second year girl, who I learned was named Asahina-senpai, tossed the ball up in the air, and Nagumo jumped up in response, and fiercely shot the ball across like a bullet. It ricocheted off random student 2's arms, and random student 4 pushed the ball up for me to spike.

"GO, Takeyama!" Sudo screamed from the sidelines, and there were several first years cheering me on.

I mustered all the strength I could in my lower legs, and pushed myself up before the ball could complete its ascent. I just had to make contact with the ball at its highest point; I did not have the luxury of waiting for the ball to come to me.

The athletes who win matches for their teams don't wait for the ball to come to them, they run to the ball themselves.

I stretched out my left arm, and managed to make contact with the volleyball.

CRASH!

Just as I was going to spike it in, random student 1 fiercely bumped into me midair, vying for the ball himself, and the sudden impact threw me off balance. I ended up mistiming my shot, and the ball dropped back into our side of the pool, sealing the whitewash for Nagumo.

"Hey, what the hell? That was clearly Takeyama's ball!" Sato-san shouted from the crowd. "Why did you go after it?"

"I'm sorry, my bad," the random student 1 mumbled. "I wasn't looking properly."

"Well, looks like you lost out on that one, kouhai," Nagumo said as he swam up to me. "But I'll be sure to remember to call you in for a rematch, yeah?"

"Sure, senpai. Thank you for inviting me, though."

"Hey, I've got a proposal for you. Mind if I ask you outside the crowd?" Nagumo suddenly asked me.

I nodded, and I quickly changed in the changing room, and made my way out into the sweltering afternoon heat. Nagumo had not yet arrived. I wasn't expecting him to actually come before me, though.

I made my way to the bench right beside the pathway, and proceeded to sit down. In a few minutes, Nagumo exited from the Men's Locker, and scanned his surroundings. Once his eyes, fell on me, he flashed an eerie smile and walked towards the bench.

"You must be wondering why I asked you to wait here, right kouhai?" said Nagumo, as he approached me.

"Of course I am, senpai. It's a bit unnerving, to say the least."

"I'm glad you feel that way. What do you think I'm here to talk to you about?"

How in the world am I supposed to know that?

"I don't know, senpai, but if I had to take a guess, maybe the date for a rematch?"

Nagumo looked at me for a few seconds, and then burst out laughing. "You never fail to impress me, kouhai. While that truly is something that needs to be discussed, I'm here for, let's say, more serious information."

"I don't understand."

"As the Student Council Vice President, I'm well aware of the results of all the Special Exams that take place all around the year for all Years, including the First Years. I heard that Class D managed to gain some pretty impressive results."

So it was again these results, uh? I couldn't say I had thought of this scenario. I knew the Student Council Vice President was eccentric, but the fact that he would single me out in the class just because I'm the only one he's actually acquainted with, came as a bit of a shock to me. I'm better off taking his words with a grain of salt.

"The results were a collective effort by everyone in Class D," I responded. "Our Class has a lot of potential, senpai."

"Of course it does," Nagumo said. "But I must say, kouhai, that you're in Class D. You might be one of the most gifted students in the Class, but your classmates will drag you down. You understand what I'm getting at?"

"Are you calling Class D a defective class, senpai?"

"In layman terms, yes. I'm calling your class the 'defective class', not because of any particular reason, but because it has been proven by all the alumni of this institution. The ones who were placed in Class D in the beginning of the Year, remained in Class D throughout the Year, even though they had several students who deserved to be in Classes B or higher. Individual talent is wasted in this school, kouhai, and I want you to know that you're a prime example of this unfair treatment. The system established by Horikita-senpai is purely Class-based, and completely demerits the traits of an individual. It irks me a bit, to be honest, seeing talent like yours being completely negated by trash of the same magnitude."

"But senpai, being defective and being trash are two different things."

"Care to explain?"

"A defective product, with suitable repairs, can be converted into a superior product. Trash remains trash."

Nagumo widened his eyes. "Your perspective is unique, kouhai. One of the reasons I really love talking to you. Did you just make that up?"

"No, just borrowed it from a friend of mine."

"I see. Give this friend of yours my regards. But it does not change the fact that Class D still comprises of a majority of defective students. It hinders the progress of students who can actually make it to Class A, without having to depend on their class. Will you help me in establishing this sort of system, kouhai?"

"Establish this sort of system? Does that mean..."

"Join me, Takeyama. Join the Student Council, and help me fulfil this dream of mine, where individual talent will be given more priority than class unity. A system where each student gets what he deserves."

"..."

"Don't worry, kouhai. I'm not looking for an immediate answer. Of course, this is a decision that is wholly up to you. But you must weigh the merits and demerits before you come to a conclusion. Try not to be biased in your judgement, and don't let your emotions come into the picture. Think clearly and logically, and you'll see the answer in front of you. The seat for Secretary is open."

"... what about the interview?"

"Interview? You're getting in because you have the recommendation and support of the Vice President. You don't need an interview."

"I'll think about it."

"Very well! Here's my number, kouhai. Use it to contact me once you've made your decision," said Nagumo. He looked at the watch. "My, it's become quite late; I have certain other engagements to attend to. Well then, see you in the Council Room, kouhai. Third Floor, yeah?"

And with that last parting statement, the handsome Vice President walked off towards the Third Year Dorms.

*

(Room 401; Ayanokoji, Kiyotaka POV):

"Open the goddamn door, Ayanokoji!" Ike shouted into my ear.

I sighed. Why does it have to be in my room?

I opened the door, and Sudo slammed it wide open, and Ike and Yamauchi ran into my Room. It had already been a long day, so I crashed down onto my bed. The 3 Idiots had, without my permission, already turned on my desktop computer, and plugged in the memory card to the system.

"Hey, wait! You guys don't get to see Suzune's naked body. That's for me," Sudo suddenly said.

"What the hell? This is not for one particular girl, you know? We're all in this together!" Yamauchi said. "By the way, Ayanokoji, you're not interested?"

"I'll pass."

"Acting all goody shoes now? We won't show you if you're that adamant," Ike said.

"There's still time; you guys can still back off and call it a day," I said as a last resort.

"You don't get to say that! Well, now you're not getting any glimpses," Ike said, and he navigated to the file where all the videos and pictures were stored.

"Kushida-chan's naked body, Ichinose's perfect boobs, Sakura's monstrous brea- what the hell?! Where are the files?"

Yamauchi and Sudo started panicking, and they peeked into the computer screen.

"Wait, what the hell! Where are the naked girls!?" Ike screamed.

"You were recording it, weren't you?" Yamauchi said with a crestfallen expression.

"Of course I was, you saw it too! Right, Ken?"

"Yeah, the little red thing was blinking when we let it out into the vent... ah fuck it!" Sudo slammed his hands on the table.

And the libidos of 3 teenage men remained unsatisfied.

A/N's:

Word Count - 6039 words

This is the longest chapter I've written. I've basically surmised the entire volume 4.5 in a nutshell here. Also, I've decided to kinda skip those SS that characters have in between. They don't really add to the plot, and I'll be doing a few of my own monologues in between instead, so that it runs more smoothly.

We've reached 12K reads, and 700 votes on this story already. Thank you for continuing to support this fic!

Vote for chad Nagumo! Cheers.

Chapter 28 - Natural Genius

(Sakayanagi Arisu POV):

I could still recall the scene across the glass screen as though it had occurred only yesterday.

My father took me to a facility located deep within the mountains, its exterior dyed pure white. No, even the interior, and all its walls, were colored completely white.

"What is it, Arisu? It's rare to see you get interested like this in something."

"This is a project to create an artificial genius. There's no way I wouldn't find that interesting."

"... that's not a very child-like way of speaking, like usual," my father smiled.

According to my father, anyone who went through the curriculum of this facility would, without exception, would be educated to become someone exceptional. There's no way I'd have misgivings about that.

"It seems that this experiment has a lot of troublesome elements in it."

My father, instead of being curious at my question, suddenly looked at me with worried eyes. I wasn't expecting this sort of reaction.

"Why do you say so, Arisu?" he asked somewhat nervously.

"It seems to be attacked from all sides from a human rights perspective."

"Oh, so that's what you meant, haha..." my father calmed down. Was he thinking of something else when I asked my question?

"Father, that boy over there seems to be solving all problems without any hesitation."

I pointed over to the other side of the glass screen, towards a boy with brown hair, who stood out among the rest of the students. He was playing chess, and overwhelmingly defeating his opponents, one after the other.

"Ah yes, that is sensei's son. His name is... Ayanokoji... Kiyotaka, if I'm not mistaken."

"He must be blessed with superior DNA, in that case?"

"What makes you say that, Arisu?"

"I don't think it is possible for them to create an artificial genius or anything like that. It all boils down to the genes that has been passed on to you."

My father smiled. "But sensei did not have any extraordinary genes. His wife was similar as well, a normal and caring woman. But sensei had stronger ambitions than anyone and an unyielding and indomitable fighting spirit. That's why he's become so great. To the extent when, at one point, he could move the country."

"So that makes him the perfect specimen for this experiment, doesn't it?"

My father nodded.

"But it pains me... it pains me to know that the boy will never experience what it is like to have a loving father and mother." I hugged my father tightly, and he hugged me back. I was really happy to have someone like him in my life.

"Father, this is the east part of the building, is it not? Why aren't any visitors allowed to visit the west side of the building?"

My father did not respond to my question. Instead, he broke away from the hug, and looked at me with fearful eyes. However, soon, it was replaced with a soft smile on his face.

"I don't know myself, Arisu. Sensei does not allow anyone who is unauthorized to enter that part of the building. I cannot be too sure myself what lies on the other side. But if I had to take a guess, it's probably the same thing we're seeing right now."

"Then what is the point of hiding it?"

"I do not know, Arisu. I would have answered your question if I knew."

I stared at my father, and I looked back beyond the glass screen, focusing my eyes on the brown haired boy, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

"By the way, Father, I think I want to start playing chess~~"

(Class 1-D, Takeyama, Keisuke POV):

"The surnames of the students divided up in order of the zodiac animals were the key to figuring out the VIP then."

This was a very unusual gathering. Me, Hirata, Ayanokoji, Horikita and Karuizawa were currently sitting at the café Palette at Keyaki Mall, discussing the results of the Zodiac Exam.

"The rabbit is the fourth in the zodiac. Ayanokoji-kun, Ibuki-san, Ichinose-san and then Karuizawa-san. It would continue in that order," said Horikita.

"I see. If that's the order then I'm fourth. That is why I became the VIP," Karuizawa mused.

As though impressed, Karuizawa nods. She is definitely aware that Ayanokoji is the one who figured it out, and not Horikita. She already knows about Ayanokoji's true personality. I must say that she is a good actor.

Did Hirata know about that, though? If I were in Karuizawa's place, I would probably feel a bit guilty for maintaining secret contacts with another boy in the class without informing Hirata. Did she not feel any remorse? Or did Hirata already know about it? Did he just not care? Several such trivial questions also made me realize that Ayanokoji and Karuizawa's relation is deeper than I expected it to be. I noticed Karuizawa sneaking in more glances towards Ayanokoji as well; but this would be practically unnoticeable if I weren't armed with prior information of their connection.

"But you know, this rule would be extremely simple. For instance, that meant in the Dragon Group, Kushida-san must've been the VIP. Isn't it an easy code to crack?"

"At first glance, yes," Horikita replied curtly. "But we need to keep in mind that we were able to deduce this pattern after the exam. Class C figured it out during the exam itself, and since they knew only 3 VIP's from their Class, it was a gamble."

"A gamble that payed off," I spoke up for the first time in the group. "It's because they noticed this pattern that they were one step ahead of us. I had also kind of figured the pattern out, but I had to stop in between because of an exception."

"Figured it out? Exception? I don't understand at all, Keisuke," Hirata looked at me with raised eyebrows.

"You're telling us that you knew that the VIP was not based on random allotment? How did you come to that conclusion?" asked Horikita.

"The only clue was in the mail that we received from the school right at the beginning of the exam." Saying so, I took out my phone, and everyone else did the same as well, anticipating my next words. "Look at the mail that the school sent carefully. They started off with ' After a period of thorough consideration'. Why would you need thorough consideration if the VIP's were going to be assigned at random?"

"That's a vague clue, Takeyama-kun, is it not?" Karuizawa-san spoke up.

"It indeed is a vague clue. But this is how the school operates, is it not? Even during the beginning of the Deserted Island Exam, the school announcement included the words ' Significant Scenery', which also struck me as odd. The school always has a habit of disguising their methods and procedures, and leaving hints and clues along the way. This clues are meant to be found. It is intentional."

"But even if the clue is found, you could not crack the code for the VIP names in time," Horikita said. "There's no point in knowing there is a clue if you do not know how to solve it."

"I had already solved it using the VIP's from our class, Horikita."

Horikita raised her eyes. "Don't joke around. Why didn't you tell us then?"

"Because then why am I the VIP?"

"Why are you... ?"

Hearing so, Horikita took out the sheet which contained all the names of the students from the Snake Group. The Snake is the sixth zodiac animal, and she arranged all the names of the students in alphabetical order.

"First is Amikura-san, then Hasebe-san, Hashimoto-kun, Himeno-san, Ishizaki-kun, and the sixth person is... Kito-kun?"

"Kito-kun? But the VIP of the Snake Group was Takeyama-kun, right?" Karuizawa-san asked as she zoned in on the sheet Horikita was currently staring at.

"I haven't made a mistake here... why? Why was Takeyama chosen as the VIP? I don't understand."

"I didn't understand it either," I elaborated. "But something else made sense. Try using my first name, and everyone else's surname."

"First name? Keisuke... ? Wait, that works!" Horikita suddenly spoke up. "Keisuke is 6th in the alphabetical order. If you use Keisuke, then the VIP of the Snake Group is you!"

"Wait, how come you took everyone else's last names, and only Keisuke's first name?" Hirata asked, completely unconvinced. "Why would they do that?"

"I don't think it's just my first name," I said. "Arrange everyone's first names in alphabetical order."

"Everyone's? Just a moment..."

Saying so, Horikita arranged everyone's first names in alphabetical order.

"No way..."

*

Snake Group :-

1. Akito Miyake
2. Daichi Ishizaki
3. Haruka Hasebe
4. Hayato Kito
5. Hiyori Shiina
6. Keisuke Takeyama -- VIP
7. Mako Amikura
8. Masayoshi Hashimoto
9. Miki Yamamura
10. Nene Mori
11. Sho Shibata
12. Takeko Nishino
13. Yuki Himeno

*

"It's Takeyama-kun when you arrange everyone by their first names as well... " Hirata stared at the sheet, thoroughly confused at the turn of events.

"I'm really not sure why I ended up being the VIP of the Snake Group," I responded. "But I guess this is the only way I could have been chosen as the VIP — by arranging our first names. Which is the main reason I did not relay this information to you guys. I wasn't sure of the information. We had only 2 other VIP's in our class other than me, so I had to pass off the rest of the arrangements as coincidence."

"But why would the school give preference to the Snake Group, or more importantly, you?" Horikita asked me. It was evident that she was getting visibly frustrated.

"I would have conveyed my thoughts if I knew," I said. "I wasn't hiding any information from you, I just wasn't sure of the authenticity of my information."

"Jeez, that's like, super irritating!" Karuizawa turned up her gyaru level. "But doesn't that mean that, like, Takeyama-kun is incredibly smart? He's the only one in the class who figured it out!"

"Yes, I'm honestly impressed, Keisuke," Hirata said. "If there wasn't this anomaly in the VIP charts, then I'm sure we could have raked in many more Class Points!"

"Yes, I think that you being chosen as the VIP was bad luck," Karuizawa-san pouted. "We could have got so many more Class Points!"

"It certainly might have strangled our chance to get Class Points, but I think it was a blessing in disguise as well." When Karuizawa looked at me like I had just spoken a foreign language, I proceeded to explain. "Think about it. Ryuuen knew about this, right? But he wasn't willing to take the entire risk either, so he made Class C betray only 4 Groups. But don't you think that it would have been more beneficial if he had chosen my Group?"

"Now that you say it... he should have chosen the Snake Group as a preliminary test Group," Horikita replied. "According to their calculations, they would have marked Kito-kun from Class A as the VIP, and we would have gained 50 Class Points, and give Class C a hit of 50 Class Points as well."

The rest of the conversation passed in amiable banter, with Horikita and Ayanokoji leaving halfway through. I followed Karuizawa's gaze pinned on Ayanokoji when he got up to leave. I really wanted to know what happened between these two on the ship.

*

Chabashira-sensei walked into the classroom on the first day after classes started, and indifferently started explaining the details of the second semester.

"From today, classes will resume again. However, in the 2nd Semester, from September to the start of October for a period of one month, in anticipation of 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."

The class went into an uproar on hearing the announcement of the Sports Festival. There were several athletic students, like Sudo and Miyake, who were finally confident that they would contribute to the Class Points. Several other students, like Yukimura and Hondo, were wailing and cursing the Festival as they lacked the athletic skills to make an impact.

"Yo, Keisuke, are you strong as well as smart?" Chiaki turned to face me and asked me with a smug grin on her face.

"I'm not weak, at least."

"Haw, don't give me that," she said playfully as she punched my shoulder. There were a few girls who were enviously staring at Chiaki and muttering inaudible phrases under their breaths.

"Ouch."

I looked over at Chiaki, who was currently clutching her right fist in her other hand.

"Wha-... ?! Your forearms are soo hard!" Chiaki pouted. "You've got insane muscles. And you're telling me that you're weak?"

"I said that I'm not weak," I corrected her. "I'm just a little stronger than average."

"Your muscles determined that was a lie," Chiaki pointed at my shoulders. "Like seriously, look at these. You've got to be kidding me. I'm dead sure that you can probably beat Sudo with these guns."

"Stop overestimating me," I sighed exasperatedly. "And how did you come to that conclusion just by punching my shoulder?"

"Hmm, are you not satisfied?" she looked at me with a devious smile. "Perhaps, you want me to caress it more?"

I pushed my chair back slowly, and closed the distance between Chiaki and myself in an instant. I pushed her chin up with my index finger.

"!?"

"I would love for you to do that to me, Chiaki-sama."

"Wha... !?" Chiaki immediately turned a bright shade of red, and she looked at me with her mouth wide open. I returned to my seat, and she continued to stare at me, with her cheeks turning redder and redder by the second.

"You imagining something?"

I snapped her back into the real world. "I... what!? WHAT!? Did you really j-j-just say t-that!?" She fumbled and stuttered with her words, and tried her best to reprimand me.

"Don't act as if you didn't like that."

"L-Like that?! Oh god, you really are an idiot!" She lowered her forehead onto the table, trying to get her ragged breathing under control.

" Chiaki-sama, Chiaki-sama, Chiaki-sama..." she continuously repeated these words under her breath. By this time, a few of the girls had noticed Chiaki looking like a ripe tomato.

"Ano~ Chiaki-chan? Is everything alright?" Kushida was the first person to ask her.

"Huh -? Y-Yeah, Kushida-san! I'm fine, I'm absolutely fine!" she adorably shook her head from left to right.

A few of the girls seemed to have noticed what I did, and were visibly glaring daggers at Chiaki, and furiously whispering between themselves. I shrugged it off and received the pamphlet that Hirata passed to me from the front.

There were several rules listed on the sheet.

*

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, and Class B and Class C in the White Team.

-- 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 will be deducted for placing lower than 5th place (the relay which will be the last event will be awarded 3 times the points).

-- The Impact of the outcome of the 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.

*

"You must go all out if you wish to not lose Class Points," Chabashira-sensei highlighted an important point.

"Sensei, it's not mentioned, but how many points does the winning team get?" Hirata asked.

"None. Just that you won't have any negative points."

The class voiced their doubts. This Sports Festival was harder than I thought it would be. Usually, the obvious demerits of any event, be it a Special Exam or a Sports Festival, were countered by similar merits. But this time, there was no reward in coming in first place. We just needed to make sure that we were not in the bottom of the rankings.

"Remember that you cannot slack off during this exam. In the case that Class A performs well and the Red Team is going to win, Class D will still incur the 100 Point penalty if you happen to be the lowest ranking."

That would mean that even if we enjoy ourselves and our team happens to win, rather than making a profit we'll actually lose out. So even if the Red Team wins, if we end up coming last on the Class Year basis, then we'll still lose 100 Points. The same holds true for the situation the other way round; if we manage to come first on the Class Year basis, but lose to the White Team, then we'll still incur a loss.

There were a few more rules listed on the other side of the page.

*

-- Individual Competition Rewards (May be used in the next midterm exam):
For students placing first 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 second in the individual competitions 3000 Private Points or an equivalent of 2 marks in a written exam will be awarded.
For students placing third in the individual competitions 1000 Private Points or an equivalent of 1 mark in a written exam will be awarded.
For students ranking the lowest in the individual competitions 1000 Private Points will be subtracted (in the case that the points currently in the student's possession is 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 individual competition in addition to the overall rules.
The violators will be treated in the same manner as 'disqualified'.
Those acting with malicious intent may be withdrawn. The expropriation of points acquired by those individuals up until then will also be considered as well.

-- Best Performing Student Award:
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.

*

Very simple rules to avoid any form of malpractice, to be honest. However, there were certain loopholes present. I made a mental reminder of them, and decided that they would be worth using on the actual day.

A major question popped into my head.

Should I go into this Sports Festival with full power?

If I do, I'll probably have a chance at Best Performing Student Award. I'm not being narcissistic, I'm stating facts. A Sports Festival does not actually test sports like basketball, tennis and the like. It's more oriented towards overall physical fitness, and core body strength. From the looks of it, in the First Year, Sudo from Class D, and Sho Shibata from Class B were the main contenders of this award.

I could possibly exclude Kouenji. I don't think he'll actually give it his all. He doesn't have a reason to anyways. Ayanokoji also probably would not show his true strength in front of the class. I didn't know much about Shibata, but from the time that we spent together in the Snake Group during the Zodiac Exam, he's very athletic, and can be considered to be one of the better players in the soccer club. Yosuke has also commended Shibata on his abilities, which leads me to believe that I cannot take him lightly.

The way our Class is structured, and the way it is being led right now, we will not be able to reach Class A under Horikita's indecisive command. Ayanokoji will continue to help and support Horikita from the shadows, so his use in practical situations is a bit restrained. A hidden leader has his own advantages in a battle of wits and strengths, but there is only so much you can do without exposing your face. When the time comes that you must expose your identity to the class, there could be turmoil and internal conflict over the hidden information, which would make us vulnerable to attacks from other classes.

It's finally time for me to take the lead.

A/N's:

I think it's finally time for the OC to come and take centerstage in the class affairs. It's painfully clear that OC is not like Ayanokoji — he doesn't mind taking control and being the leader of the class. He doesn't care about the attention.

The Sports Festival Arc is probably (this word is important) a major arc in this fic. I'll be slowly uncovering OC's past, and try to make it a bit dramatic. Could you find the little hint I've left in this chapter?

Also, I've decided that once in a while, I'll include 'Short Stories' from the perspective of other characters. As the name suggests, they'll be short, and will give an insight into the plot from the POV of background characters.

As always, thank you so much for reading! Please vote for the chapter! Cheers.

SS.1 - Standards (Chiaki Matsushita)

"Yo, Keisuke, are you strong as well as smart?" I asked my handsome neighbor teasingly. I was really fun to tease this man. He wouldn't ever go out of his way to tease you back.

"I'm not weak, at least."

Tch. What a boring and logical answer. "Haw, don't give me that," I playfully punched his right shoulder.

That was a bad idea.

"Ouch," I let out an involuntary gasp, as I held my now throbbing right hand in the palm of my left hand. Wait, he said that he was NOT STRONG! I almost broke a finger just trying to punch him.

"Wha--? Your forearms are soo hard!" I said, clutching my fist. "You said you weren't strong!"

"I said I wasn't weak," he replied in his usual calm and cool voice. "I'm a bit over average strength, that's all."

"Your muscles determined that was a lie," I said with a poker face. I bent forward and held his right arm. "Like seriously, you've got insane muscle. I'll bet you can probably belt even Sudo with these guns."

"You're overestimating me," he said, pushing my hand off. "And how did you come to that conclusion just by punching my shoulder?"

Now's the moment.

"Hmm, are you not satisfied?" I put on a seductive look, and bit my lower lip. "Perhaps, you want me to caress it more?"

He stared at me for a solid 5 seconds, and blinked once. It worked. He was probably all gooey and melted inside. I must say, I'm really curious of his reaction.

Suddenly, his face was up next to mine. I stumbled back, but he caught me with his left arm, and lifted up my face with his right index. His silky black hair fell down over his face at his sudden movement, covering his left eye, and leaving a piercing, cold and beautiful right eye glaring into my soul. He brought his face closer to my ear, and I could feel his warm breath on my neck.

"I would love for you to do that to me, Chiaki-sama."

I felt my chest tighten at his words. Unintentionally, my heart started beating over a 100 miles a minute. He gracefully returned to his seat, and looked front to receive the sports festival pamphlet from Hirata-kun as if nothing had just happened.

I could feel my cheeks turn a hot red from the interaction.

"You imagining something?" he broke me out of my trance.

"I- no- what!? WHAT!? Did you j-j-just seriously d-do that?" I blurted out, unable to control my words. I wasn't thinking straight. Who can after one of the most sought-after boy in the school makes such a bold move on you!?

"Don't act as if you didn't like that."

"L-Like that!? Oh god, you really a-are an idiot," I mumbled, and I lowered my forehead onto my desk.

Ahhh, who even does that? I could have handled some minor teasing, but I didn't ever expect him to pull of something like this!

But he called me Chiaki-sama.

For some strange reason, it felt good.

No, Chiaki, get a grip. He was just teasing you. Of course he's not interested in you. No way he's interested in me, right? But he's so impossible to read. I can't even tell what he's thinking half the time, staring out of the window of the classroom.

"Ano~ Chiaki-chan, is everything alright?" a sweet voice rang out in my ears. I immediately sat up straight.

"I-I--? What? Yes, yes! I'm absolutely fine! I'm absolutely fine!" I replied, trying to come up with some sort of excuse to tell Kikyo-chan.

"Are you sure? Your face is all red, and you were muttering something under your breath, I couldn't quite catch what it was," Kikyo worriedly asked me. These are the moments when I really wish Kikyo-chan did not dig into someone's personal life so much.

"Don't w-worry, Kikyo-chan! I'm alright!" I replied hurriedly.

"Ok then, please don't hesitate to tell me what's bothering you, okay?" she smiled widely. "That's what friends are for, right?"

"Y-Yeah, sure!"

I looked at Keisuke out of the corner of my eye, and he was peacefully sitting on his seat and reading through the pamphlet, oblivious to his surroundings. Of course, he would be like that. He's the type to turn his back at the explosion that he just caused.

My ideal man standards were high.

I've always been of the opinion that the boys in our grade were absolutely trash, save for a few. Even in middle school, I was interested in only one or two seniors, who just happened to be the all-rounder type — good at sports, smart, social and easy to get along with. They were the senpais who were adored by the entire school.

But they weren't ideal. None of them were up to my standards.

But it all changed when I met and became friends with Keisuke Takeyama.

He was an ideal man, and he met my standards in all respects.
In fact, he was above my standards.

But I see this gorgeous young man only as a friend. If I had to tell the truth, we were each other's first friends. He was the first person to talk to me in class, and he said that I was his first friend in school as well.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Keisuke Takeyama was my best friend.

And I didn't want that to change anytime soon. I didn't want anything as trivial as love to affect our bond.

But if he's the one to sweep me off my feet, then I guess it's alright to fall in love with him, is it not?

A/N's:

The first SS of this fic! Is there anything that I need to change, or is everything alright? I'm happy to welcome any feedback.

Thank you for reading, and cheers. Vote for Matsushita Chiaki!

SS.2 - The Man Behind The Mask (Kikyo Kushida)

Have you ever been addicted to the so called feeling of 'popularity' and 'fame'?

There's no point in lying. Everyone loves being loved. I was no different.

I was never the top of my class at academics, nor was I the most athletic girl in my grade. There were several others who were much better than me in those aspects.

However, second or third place did not make me happy.

I WANTED FIRST PLACE.

But I wasn't good enough. No matter how hard I tried, I wasn't able to become the best in any particular field. I used to study and pull all-nighters, and try to become as athletic as possible. But I couldn't reach the levels of my other classmates.

That's when I realized that this world is cruel. It's unfair. There are so many people who are good at so many different activities, be it intellectual or physical, and yet here I was, wallowing in despair, because I was never given an opportunity to shine anywhere.

That's when I decided, that I would do what no one else could do. I would become the kindest person in school, the one person who everyone could approach, the only person who you'd instantly turn to whenever you needed any assistance.

It was hard. It was terribly hard. I remember returning home from school and rushing straight to the restroom, and vomiting. It was so hard to keep up my fake persona. There was too much stress, so much, to a point where I believed that my hair was starting to fall off.

But it was necessary. It was necessary to lead a perfect life. A life where I'm in first place.

The last year of middle school. An incident where boys got into violent fistfights, girls were verbally abusing each other, pushing and pulling out everyone's hair. The teachers and the staff couldn't do anything about it. And the cause of the incident was me.

A blotch in my record.

A past that I must hide at all costs from everyone in this school. I will continue to be the kindest girl in the entire school, and I'll bask in all the attention that I receive.

But it all changed when I received a recording of my own voice, berating my other classmates, from an unknown number on my phone.

From that day on, my entire life is being controlled by someone that I do not even know. An anonymous person who makes me do his/her work. A person that I have come to detest and loathe with all of my heart.

I have tried tracing back the number to its source, but I hit a dead-end. This person knows that I cannot go to the school and ask anyone for help, as my entire persona and my past will be revealed if I do.

I'm being used, and I absolutely hate it.

However, there is no way this person can know my past. After all, I have not exposed it to anyone. That Horikita bitch has a chance of knowing my past, and that is why I must expel her from this school at all costs. Unless she has gone and blabbered about my past to this unknown person, they would have no way to know about my past, about 'my incident'.

Because of my carelessness, my own words are being used against me. They're being used to threaten my very existence, the very essence of Kikyo Kushida.

I will not simple stop at finding out who these people are.

Horikita Suzune.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.
And the man behind the mask.

I will find you, and I will expel you from this school.

Chapter 29 - Shadows

"Obviously, I'm going to participate in all the Recommended Events! That'll give us the highest chances of winning!" Sudo urged Horikita with his simple-yet-effective thought process.

"Wait, that's not fair!" said Ike. "The first 3 places in these competitions earn you Private Points and marks! It's not fair that Sudo gets to hog all the events!"

"Are you saying that you value your Private Points more than your Class Ranking?" Horikita asked him coldly.

"T-That..."

I think I saw Horikita glare at me for a fraction of a second, before returning back to conversing with the 3 Idiots. She's so cold. Tsundere.

"The athletic ones will participate as many times as possible. That should be the main line of thinking, right? You're being naïve, Suzune," Sudo said half-heartedly.

Horikita did not refute Sudo's point, and I did not see any reason to either. Sudo was the one person in the class who is always on the verge of failing during written exams, so it is imperative that he wants to participate in all the recommended events.

Furthermore, the academically brighter students, who were physically weaker, did not mind letting Sudo take all the recommended spots. To them, a student who can possibly win them points, and also get some marks for his own failing written test would be seen as a win-win.

But the problem here arises among the other academically weaker students, like Ike, Yamauchi and Sato-san. They would also aim for the written test marks, but they were left out of the equation due to their inferior athletic skills compared to Sudo. There were several others as well who were adamant on getting their names in on the recommended list just so they could amass some Private Points for themselves.

However, since I was the VIP of the Snake Group back in the Zodiac Exam, I had already received my 1,000,000 Private Points. Right now to me, the first place offered a measly 5000 Private Points, which didn't hold a candle to my current funds. Granted, it would be something if I managed to get a podium finish in 3 or more events, but I believe it would be better to let the academically weaker students try aiming for the marks instead. My point balance was currently 1,046,732 Private Points, which was by no means less. I probably had the most points in Class, considering that Kushida usually spends most of her money on her friends.

Which reminded me that I have very few friends.

But that honestly did not concern me anymore. In this school, friends are superficial, more so if they're from other classes. The underlying fact that we were still enemies in the end, and that we would have to fight each other sooner or later, makes it much harder to interact without mincing words. Letting out any potential weakness or strategy, even during friendly gatherings, can be effectively used by other classes during class battles.

"We'll be having a meeting with all the classes in the gymnasium in about half an hour," Hirata announced. "I think that will be a good time to discuss among all the other D-classes and A-classes about how we should go ahead with the Festival."

"Yeah, that's a good idea!"

"I think we should try that out!"

"Thanks, Hirata-kun!"

*

Over 400 people, including teachers, staff members and students gathered in the gymnasium. The entire student body from the First Years to the Third Years were divided into the Red Team and the White Team.

I was standing next to Ayanokoji and Hirata. Even Hirata was unsure of what to do in such a large crowd. He attempted to get at least Class 1-D under control, but his attempts were futile.

I noticed Horikita intently staring into the Third Year crowd. Was she perhaps looking for her brother? If she loves her brother so much, why can't she just be a bit more bold and approach him, and talk to him? This kind of behavior with your brother came as a bit abnormal to me. Again, I don't have an elder brother, so I possibly couldn't know.

"It feels rather intimidating to be the freshman year in such a large student body crowd," Hirata mused. "Do you think the seniors will be the ones to take the lead in this Festival?"

"That will most probably be the case," I answered. "The seniors have more experience when it comes to the Sports Festival. Sensei has told us that this Festival is annual, which implies that the Third Years have already been through it twice. It will be better if one of them takes the lead."

"That makes sense. Do you think it will be beneficial if we set up a cooperative alliance with Class A for this time?" Hirata asked me. "Of course we will be competing in the Sports Festival over the Best Performing Class in the Year, but otherwise, it feels out-of-hand to have any sort of miscommunication with Class A."

"I think it will be better to not establish communication itself," I said. "Talk to the leaders of Class A of how you don't want any communication between the 2 classes in this Festival. There's no point in any connections either way. In this Festival, there's no way you can actually win without having athletic people in your class. In other words, it's very fair, and there's not much ground for reconnaissance and foul play."

Hirata pondered over my words. I looked ahead to notice a small group of Third Years approaching centerstage in our gathering of A and D classes. One of them started to speak.

"My name is Fujimaki from the Third Year Class A. It has been decided that I will be taking charge of the Red Team for this event."

So Horikita Manabu wasn't going to be the Leader here? Considering he was the SCP, it would make sense if he had taken hold of the reins. But then what does the man even do?

"First of all, I'll be giving you First Years some advice. This may be an unnecessary portion to you all, but I'd like you to keep in mind how critically important this sports festival is. The experience you will gain from this sports festival will definitely be made use of on a different occasion as well. In future exams as well, there will be times when part of it feel like games to you. However, each and every one of them are battles on which you bet your survival in this school."

The senior's words were a bit ambiguous, but they were solid pieces of advice. As we First Years get accustomed to this school, it is getting increasingly prevalent and clear that each and every turn and bump on our path to Class A cannot be taken lightly. Every single Special Exam is a potential marker to earn valued Class Points, and make your way up the rankings. This sports festival was no different. There was a chance to get only 50 Class Points. But since the entire system of the sports festival was ranking based, the net gain was much greater.

For instance, if Class C came in 4th position, and Class D came in 1st position, then:

Class C -- -100 CP
Class D -- 50 CP

Which basically means a net gain of 150 CP over Class C, which by no means is a small amount. It was not enough to immediately promote ourselves to Class C, but the gap would significantly lessen to less than a 100 CP, turning it into a two-way deadlock between Class C and D.

"Since you don't have a feel for it yet, you lot might not be very motivated right now. But since we're doing it anyways we'll be aiming to win, hold strongly onto that feeling. That alone is something that everyone should keep in mind," Fujimaki-senpai continued.

"The only event where all the 3 school years will be participating together is the 1200m relay at the end. Other than that, all the other events will have all the events divided up. After this, please assemble according to your school years and discuss your strategy going forward." Having ended his pep talk, Fujimaki-senpai stood back and immersed himself back into the Third Year crowd, already making plans and strategies.

Class A, led by Kohei Katsuragi, started assembling together in droves, while the ones in Class D were a bit apprehensive working together with the elite class. Their grades in the 1st semester was much higher than ours, which demonstrated the prowess and authority of Class A.

"It seems we'll be forming a united front in a bizarre manner but let's get along. If possible, I was thinking we could join forces without any quarrels among our teammates," said Katsuragi.

"I feel the same way too, Katsuragi-kun. Let's get along," Hirata agreed, and the 2 clearly decided their intention to cooperate.

"Hey, what's up with that girl... ?" Ike suddenly asked softly.

I looked at the direction in which Ike was looking at. Sitting on a chair at the side of the gymnasium was a petite silver haired girl, with a walking cane resting on one hand. It was clear from her slender body and thin legs that she probably had trouble walking.

If my intel was not wrong...

"That is Sakayanagi Arisu from our class," Katsuragi confirmed my suspicions. "She's disabled, so I hope you can understand that she cannot take part in this sports festival."

"She's really cute... "

There were silent murmurs from a specific set of boys from Class D, but none of them could muster up the courage to approach her. A cuteness that was different from Kushida's and Ichinose's, a different kind of beauty. One that invokes a feeling of wanting to protect her.

Having realized that she was now the center of attention, Sakayanagi softly turned around and smiled.

"As for me, it is unfortunate, but I will not be of much use to you. I will be losing every competition due to my absence."

A faint, yet strong will.

"I will end up inconveniencing both my class and Class D. For that, please allow me to apologize."

"There is no need for that at all. I don't think anyone will be hounding you over the fact that you cannot participate," Hirata reassured her. No one in the Class had the courage, or the right, to complain against something that she had no control over.

Contrary to her reputation, Sakayanagi appeared to be overwhelmingly polite and mature. She did not even give off the slightest impression that she was the aggressive type, as the rumors suggested.

From the perspective of the meatheads like Sudo and Ike in our class, who don't have a faint idea of what is going on in the other classes, it must have appeared to them that Class A and Class D were sitting separately. However, from my perspective, it was clear that there was a demarcation, a clear line which the students in Class A were following.

A few students, including Yahiko, were sitting on Katsuragi's side, while the rest of the class was on Sakayanagi's side. It was clear evidence of the factional conflict between the 2 de facto leaders of Class A.

From the looks of it, the Katsuragi faction had almost as many students as the Sakayanagi faction, if not more. However, from the evident number of people on Sakayanagi's side, it was clear that even though she was not involved in any of the events and Special Exams that were held over the cruise ship, she still had a massive influence over the class. Surely, missing out on Special Exams would cost a huge penalty for Class A, unless there were a few lax rules due to her unstable constitution. Moreover, it made it very clear that Sakayanagi was making moves behind the scenes to rope in more students onto her side, and capitalizing on Katsuragi's failures on the Cruise Ship to further consolidate her position as an able Class Leader.

"By the way, Katsuragi-kun. About our cooperative relationship, I'm thinking of a relationship where we don't interfere with each other would be fine. You don't mind, do you?" All eyes were on me as I spoke up for the first time in the gymnasium.

"In other words, you mean you won't be sharing the details of the competitions you'll be participating in?" Katsuragi eyed me suspiciously.

"That's right. If we announce them clumsily it may lead to unnecessary problems. If information about that were to leak to Class C and B, it would cause suspicion towards Class A and end up causing disruptions to our cooperation. Besides, having to analyze the capabilities of our allies Class A and taking all that into account will only be adding into our troubles. At best, we'll only be cooperating and fighting together. I've judged that this is optimal."

"... that may be so. I understand that this is school where it is difficult to establish a relationship in good faith. Also, even though we are allies in the sense that we're a group, there's no change to the fact that we'll still be competing against each other after all," Katsuragi mused. "Besides, I haven't seen you around before. May I know your name?"

"Keisuke Takeyama, pleasure," I replied.

"Takeyama, will you be taking lead of your class during this sports festival, or will it be Hirata? I must know that so I am aware of who to communicate with in the case that there is any need to do so," said Katsuragi.

I stayed silent for a second, and looked at Hirata. There was a quick non-verbal confirmation between the two of us, and I spoke up again.

"That'll be me. I'm the Leader of Class D for this Sports Festival. Please contact me in case you really need to."

The class audibly gasped, and looked at me and Hirata for an explanation of the situation. The only ones in the class who were majorly aware of this development were Hirata, Ayanokoji, Horikita and Chiaki. No one else in the class is aware of my deep involvement in the class affairs, and my connections with the Leaders of the other classes. It was natural for them to voice their concern over my sudden appointment as Leader.

"It seems that your class is apprehensive of you becoming the Leader," Katsuragi spat out. "It makes me wonder if your class really possesses the necessary amount of teamwork to work with Class A. A Leader who is not recognized cannot possibly lead the class. I'm also against cooperating with Class D if their Leader is not a capable one. It would be detrimental to both Class A and the Red Team as a whole."

"Katsuragi-kun, Keisuke is a much more capable person than you think," Hirata tried to intervene for my sake. "I don't think there should be any problems for Class A if he takes the reins now."

"I disagree, Hirata," Katsuragi continued his onslaught. "This is not about capability. This is about leadership, and not everyone possesses that skill. And you're wrong about the fact that it does not affect Class A. It affects us immensely; and we'll be dragged down along with you if you underperform in the Sports Festival."

"Katsuragi-kun, I want you to understand that we are in a precarious situation right now," I said, bringing all attention onto me now. "Our alliance is key to winning this Sports Festival together, as the Red Team. We've already reached a conclusion where the 2 classes will not be poking our noses into each other's business. This alliance is a threat to Class D as well. Class A right now, is the class with the most unstable leadership, and yet we are here, forming an alliance that you proposed. Risks must be taken, Katsuragi. You cannot always choose the safe path."

"Tch." There were a few murmurs of approval from both Class D and the Sakayanagi Faction, who had remained especially quite during the exchange.

"Hey, don't talk down to Katsuragi-san like that!" Yahiko-the-dog shouted out. "He's a much more capable leader than you defects!"

"Who're you calling defects, uh!?" Yamauchi struck in, and there was rising tension between the 2 classes.

"There's no point of any useless banter of this sort here," I said calmly. "You're free to think of us in any way you want, Class A. What you say cannot bother us in the least. So, let's settle this temporary alliance for now."

"But that doesn't change anything!" Yahiko continued. "You guys are still Class D, and we in Class A are forced to pair up with you lot! It's almost guaranteeing our loss!"

"Yahiko, that's enough," Katsuragi spoke up. "I'm sorry for the mayhem. I agree to cooperate for this Festival. However, you'd better not drag us down, Class D."

"Likewise, Class A. I hope that there will be no requirement to communicate in the future, unless a situation demands so," I said.

The rest of the meeting passed in silence, till it was interrupted by commotion on the other side of the gymnasium.

"Class C... ?"

"So are you saying that you have no intention of cooperating?" a sweet voice rang out in the gymnasium. The voice belonged to Class B's leader, 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 pocket, turned around. It's Class C's Ryuuen Kakeru.

"You do know that 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 my time."

"I see. So you were thinking of saving us time."

"That's precisely right. You'd better be grateful."

Laughing, Ryuuen began walking out with all the Class C students in tow. It was a scene that confirmed that there are no disruptions to the dictatorship in Class C.

"Hey, Ryuuen-kun. Are you confident that you can win this time without cooperating?" It seems Ichinose intends on cooperating with Ryuuen to the bitter end.

"Kuku. I wonder."

I stared at the retreating Class C, but my gaze lingered upon Karuizawa as she stared intently at the leaving Class C crowd. Her expression was far from what it usually is, and she looked a bit gloomy. I looked back at Class C, but couldn't find anyone or anything suspicious.

Katsuragi turned to give me some advice.

"Since we're allies with you guys from Class D this time I'll give you a warning. Don't underestimate Ryuuen. He can laugh while sliding up to you and leap to attack without warning. You'll suffer severely if you let your guard down."

"I'm grateful for your warning, but with the way you phrase it, I wonder if you know this from personal experience," I replied. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Sakayanagi smirking to herself.

"... you've been warned."

*

I stayed back in the gymnasium with Hirata and Horikita, while the rest of the class headed back to the dormitories.

Horikita immediately started as soon as everyone left. "Takeyama-kun, what was the meaning of this?"

"I assumed that you would have been one of the people who understands the reason behind my actions," I deadpanned. "Looks like I was sorely mistaken."

"Do not digress. You made it very clear that you did not want to come front-stage and yet, here you are, taking the lead in the Sports Festival in the most conspicuous manner possible. Care to explain?"

"Wait, just a moment!" Hirata intervened, darting his vision between Horikita and myself. "What do you mean, 'take front-stage'?"

Horikita looked at me for confirmation. I nodded.

"Well, if I had to put it in simple words, Takeyama is the real mastermind of Class 1-D."

"I... what?" Hirata looked at me, with a big looming question mark over his head.

"It's true; I'm the one who pulled off our strategy during the Island Exam. I didn't try to do anything during the Zodiac Exam, because I ended up becoming the VIP. It would have been easier to guess another VIP than trying to make the entire group believe that someone else is the VIP."

"I-I don't understand," Hirata said, perplexed. "I knew Takeyama-kun was above average, but... you're the one who's been pulling the strings behind all this while? And what about Horikita-san? Have you just been taking credit of Keisuke's plans?"

"You don't have to get worked up, Yosuke," I said soothingly. "It was all a part of a simple strategy — let the real leader stay in the shadows and make someone else leader in my place. A simple method to disguise one's identity and also to mislead the other classes."

"I guess that makes sense... but then why did you suddenly take the initiative to lead the class up front, Keisuke?" asked Hirata. "Wouldn't it have been better to continue to hide in the shadows?"

"That was my question as well," Horikita said impatiently. "I want to know how we're going to explain it to the rest of the class now."

"Explaining it to the class won't be a problem, Horikita-san," Hirata assured her. "I think Keisuke and I can handle that easily."

"Coming back to the real question."

"Well, if I had to explain it in simple words, I was found out," I said nonchalantly.

"Found out?" Horikita raised her eyebrows. "What do you mean, 'found out'?"

"Exactly what it meant. Ryuuen found out that I'm the real person behind Class D's tactics on the cruise ship. Him and I had a little chat over the deck on the last day of the cruise. I didn't feel like hiding my identity, so I exposed myself as the Leader."

"But why would you do that? You could have just continued to deny that you were the real mastermind, or play dumb, or something," Horikita said. "Why did you confirm it with Ryuuen-kun, out of all people?"

"There would have been more harm done than good, Horikita," I said. "Ryuuen said that he would target me solely during the next few Special Tests because I foiled his plans on the Island. I would become a liability to the class if we're relentlessly attacked by Class C without knowing the reason. Ryuuen is not someone who will keep promises, after all. He vouched that he would not expose my identity to the rest of the grade, but it's hard to trust him."

"So you exposed yourself before the entire Class so that we don't enter a problematic situation later, in the case that your identity is ripped away by force?" Hirata connected the dots.

"Yeah, that's basically it."

"I wonder if that was a good plan, Keisuke?" Hirata asked me. "Besides, how many people already know about your involvement as the Class Leader?"

"If it's just Class D, then you, Horikita, Ayanokoji and Chiaki. Ryuuen is the only person from another Class to know about it as of now."

"Matsushita-san and Ayanokoji-kun as well?" asked Hirata.

"Ayanokoji was unexpected; he tags along with Horikita most of the time, so I thought it would be alright to let him in on that," I explained. "As for Chiaki, she just knows, because I trust her."

"Is there something going on... ?" Hirata asked amusingly.

"Nope, we're not dating."

"Oh, alright! Sorry if I made you uncomfortable," Hirata apologized.

"Don't sweat it."

"So what's the course of action now?" Horikita asked. "Where do you want to start?"

"I'll suggest first taking a basic strength test of the entire class," I said. "We can gauge the abilities of all our classmates, and then have a better idea as to how we can organize ourselves for the Recommended Only Events. I also suggest reconnaissance."

"Reconnaissance?" Hirata repeated after me.

"Just the basics. We can enter club rooms, right? So we can judge at least a few of the students from Class B and C. Shibata-kun is in the soccer club, is he not? And Komiya and Kondo are in the basketball club. We can check them out and have a mental grasp on their limits."

"Needless to say, you're a very capable leader, Keisuke," mused Hirata. "You've already come up with a flawless plan."

"You give me too much credit," I replied, smiling. "I was hoping to ask the faculty members of the gym to lend me a few grip strength machines. I think I'll go and get them now before someone from another class grabs the good ones."

"Sure, I'll inform the class that we'll be doing a normal physical test in the next PE class," Hirata said.

With that, we left the already-empty gymnasium.

A/N's:

I'm currently super motivated to write this fic, but even though I know what to write, I don't actually know what to write.

Is this what they call writer's block?
If it is, now I know how hard it is.

Thank you for reading! Vote for Smug Loli first appearance! Cheers.

Chapter 30 - Strength Test

(Class 1-D, Horikita, Suzune POV):

We had been given a 2 hours free homeroom period every week to strategize and plan for the upcoming Sports Festival. Chabashira-sensei moved to the back of the class, most probably to silently watch over the discussion, while Hirata-kun took control of the class, and decided to initiate the meeting.

I looked forward to my left to a certain seat. Takeyama-kun wasn't present in Class. If I remember correctly, he had taken permission from Chabashira-sensei to secure 2-3 grip strength machines from the Gymnasium, and had taken off at the end of the Class.

"Ano~ Hirata-kun?" Kushida-san spoke up. "Shouldn't we wait for Takeyama-kun to return from wherever he went? Since he's the Leader of the Sports Festival this time, isn't it imperative that his opinion is valid as well?"

The class murmured in approval to Kushida-san's words. However, I could hear some dissatisfactory responses from certain parts of the class, which included Shinohara-san and her entourage.

"Hey Hirata-kun, why are we allowing Takeyama-kun to take the leadership role in this Sports Festival when we know that you're the one best suited for it?" Shinohara asked a rather unpleasant question.

"Yeah, isn't it strange how he suddenly took the initiative to lead the class? I wonder if there's something in it for him?"

Such voices of concern and apathy rose up in the dull classroom, and Hirata pleaded for everyone to calm down.

"I think we have some explaining to do to the Class, Hirata-kun," I stood up. The unexpected speaker gathered the entire class's attention in an instant.

"I was hoping to wait for Keisuke to return before we explain, Horikita-san," Hirata reasoned.

"But it seems that our class is a bit impatient," I replied. "It's alright, it's not like Takeyama-kun needs to be here for everything to be explained."

With that, I got up from my seat, and gave a sneak glance towards Ayanokoji-kun, who just nodded his head along. I made my way to the podium of the class. Even Chabashira-sensei was now interested, and she leaned back into her chair.

I came to the teacher's desk, and looked around the class once, before continuing.

"Takeyama-kun is the real leader of Class D."

. . . . . . .

"What?"

"What do you mean, Horikita-san? You and Hirata-kun are our leaders, right?" Kushida asked with a perplexed expression.

"Yeah, I don't see where this is coming from," Yukimura pushed his glasses up his nose. "What do you mean that he's our leader?"

"It mean exactly what it means," Hirata-kun joined in. "Takeyama-kun is the real leader of Class D. He's been working from the shadows, and now he's decided to come forward and take the lead."

"I'm sorry Hirata-kun, but I don't follow," Karuizawa-san started. "It's true that he's smart, but he's the hidden leader of Class D? I find that really hard to believe." Karuizawa's friends supported her statement as well.

"It is true," Hirata-kun said. "It may be hard to believe. It was hard for me to digest as well, when Takeyama-kun confided in me yesterday. Only Horikita-san was aware of the situation. Keisuke stayed hidden within the Class to avoid suspicion from other classes. But on the cruise ship, it seems he had an altercation with Ryuuen-kun, from Class C, where he said that he would expose Keisuke's identity to the rest of the grade."

"Ryuuen-kun and Takeyama-kun... ?"

The class fell into frantic whispering.

"Umm, Hirata," Yukimura spoke up once again. "If you're really telling us the truth, why did Takeyama-kun suddenly decide to expose himself to the rest of the class? Shouldn't he have just stayed hidden and controlled everything from the back?"

"That was his initial plan, Yukimura-kun," I replied in Hirata's stead. "He wasn't planning to expose himself to the class, but Ryuuen-kun discovered his identity. To avoid unnecessary confusion in the future, he decided to come out clean."

"But Horikita-san, isn't it clear that you're a much more capable leader than Takeyama-kun?" Shinohara-san did not stop questioning. "You're the one who won us the Island Exam after all. He did not do anything."

"Which part of hidden leader do you not understand, Shinohara-san?" I replied curtly. "Everything was Takeyama-kun's doing. Me and Takeyama had an agreement where I would act as the de facto leader of the class, so that he could continue to work behind the scenes. All the results on the Island were Takeyama-kun's handiwork. I did not do anything."

"It's still hard to believe, you know?" Shinohara said. "I mean, I still think Hirata is a better suited leader than Takeyama."

"I don't think so."

All heads turned to the source of the voice, Chiaki Matsushita. If I remember correctly, she's someone who already knows about Takeyama-kun's involvement in class affairs.

"Chiaki-chan..."

"Hirata and Horikita-san are all telling the truth," Matsushita-san continued indifferently. "Keisuke's already told me everything, and I trust him. He's a very capable leader, Satsuki-chan. I don't think it is wise for us to be underestimating him to this degree. It irks me a bit, to be honest."

The class fell into an uncomfortable silence once again, and the only sounds were Chabashira-sensei's pointed heels tapping into the ground. With that, sensei stood up from her seat, and left homeroom, without uttering a single word.

"Where is he, even?"

*

(ANHS, Takeyama, Keisuke POV):

"Fancy running into you, Takeyama."

"Good afternoon, Student Council President. I'm honored that you remember me," I gave a slight bow.

"I prefer Horikita-senpai," he said with a stoic expression. "I've received some interesting information from Nagumo about you. I might have thought he was joking, but it seems by running into you here, I can confirm my suspicions."

"Is this about joining the Student Council, Horikita-senpai?"

"Precisely. It seems you have caught Nagumo's eye, and catching Nagumo's eye has always been a bad omen in ANHS."

I slightly snickered at the derogatory remark. "It seems you don't hold the Vice President in favorable light, senpai."

"It indeed is hard to acknowledge his methods. He's never personally invited anyone into the Student Council before. He's always roped in the candidates that I've rejected during interviews. So having a Secretary join the SC without an interview feels out of place, even for someone as eccentric as Nagumo. I hope you will forgive me, but I cannot allow anyone to join the SC without an interview beforehand."

"Does that really count though, senpai?"

"Hmm?"

"From what I just heard, Nagumo-senpai ropes in students who failed the interview, which was obviously taken by you. So if those students managed to join the Council, doesn't that mean you don't actually have the power to stop the Vice President from hiring new potential members?"

"I did not say that. I'm going to take an interview for you, regardless of whether you join the SC through Nagumo's recommendation, or via the normal interview procedure. Whether you get accepted or not is not a unanimous decision made by the Council. I cannot divulge anymore information than I already have."

"That's alright, senpai. I didn't mean to extract intel from you. I'm sorry if I came across as rude."

"Nothing to worry about. So, are you planning to join the SC? I'm worried Nagumo has already coaxed you onto his side," Manabu said, adjusting his glasses up his nose.

"Nagumo-senpai doesn't have any influence over my actions, Horikita-senpai. I am the ruler of my own actions. No one else dictates what I intend to do."

"Such strong words. I wonder what I'll do with such a fierce Secretary."

"Are you already under the assumption that I've joined the SC, Horikita-senpai?"

"From a logical viewpoint, yes. You have technically already been accepted into the Student Council. Whether I take an interview or not, I'm confident and positive of your abilities. Now, only your confirmation remains."

"Can I think about it, senpai? I do not want to rush into this decision. With the upcoming Sports Festival, there are a few things that I must handle in my class as well. When is the latest I can confirm by?"

"Take your time. Joining the SC is indeed a very groundbreaking decision in this school. You have all the time that you need."

"Thank you very much, senpai."

"By the way, are those grip strength machines that I see in your hand?"

"They are. I borrowed them from the Gymnasium to have a thorough individual test of our Class, so we have a fair idea of where we excel and lack."

"A good decision," Manabu said. He prepared to leave. "Well then, don't disappoint me. I'll be watching how capable the new Secretary is."

With that last statement, the President walked off towards the Council Room.

*

The walk back to the classroom was a bit eerie.

I had already told Yosuke and Horikita before that they could reveal my identity while I'm not present in class. It gives everyone in class a false sense of security; everyone will be willing to throw out their 'real' intentions about me being the leader, if I wasn't in class myself.

People are easy to read. Most of them tend to talk rubbish behind another person's back, as long as that person is currently not tuned in to the conversation. In other words, making Yosuke and Horikita expose me was to gauge everyone's 'true' reactions, and how they really feel about me being the leader.

I'm not affected by that other say in the least. If they feel I'm a bad leader, then I will step down. However, I will not help them from the shadows either. Once they taste defeat and failure, they will all flock back to me without thinking twice.

Again, that is only if they think I'm a bad leader. I doubt that will be the case.

After keeping the grip machines in the Class D gym, I headed back to the classroom.

"..."

The silence in the class was deafening, to say the least. Everyone seemed to watch my movements very carefully. I reluctantly sighed, and stood next to Hirata and Horikita on the podium.

I took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry."

The entire class was stunned at my sudden apology.

"I'm sorry I hid my identity from all of you. It'll be really selfish of me to ask everyone here to acknowledge me as Leader."

"Takeyama-kun, you don't need to apologize at all!" Kushida-san spoke up to dissipate the awkward atmosphere. "You did nothing wrong at all! You did what you think was best for the class. I think that it's a really noble deed!"

"Yeah, she's right! Please don't apologize for something that you didn't do, Takeyama-kun!" Mori-san supported her.

Slowly, several voices broke out in the class, including Miyake-kun, Hasebe-san, the 3 Idiots, and the majority of Karuizawa and Kushida's groups. I smiled lightly, and there was suddenly furious whispering among the girls again.

"I have just one question before I proceed." All attention turned to me once again. "I know this is a really rude and insensitive question, but do you recognize me as the Leader of Class D?"

"Of course we do," Chiaki was the first one to speak up. "You're the one who got us those results on the Island. You were the one who made sure we didn't do anything stupid during the Zodiac Exam. Of course we trust you."

"Yeah, Chiaki-chan is right!"

"Yeah, you're our Leader, Takeyama-kun!"

"Let's go Class D!" Ike shouted out, and the rest of the class applauded in unison. Horikita looked at me as if to say, now what?

I waited for the class to quiet down.

"So what's the plan for now, Keisuke?" Hirata asked me in place of the entire class.

"It's a simple plan. I've acquired 2 grip strength machines from the Gymnasium, and we'll be using them to gauge our strengths. This will help in deciding who's going to participate in the Recommended Only Events. From my perspective, I feel only those students whose athletic abilities are high should participate in the Recommended Only Events, to secure us a greater chance of winning. There's the Scavenger Hunt Race, which honestly, anyone can take part in. We can pretty much decide that with Rock-Paper-Scissors. Grip strength will be an important factor for tug-of-war. We can have a timed race as well, where we can assess who we can assign for the races."

The entire class listened attentively to my plan, and I chalked it out in a clear, concise manner on the blackboard.

"Any questions?"

Sato-san raised her hand. "Takeyama-kun, you said that you would give the names of those students whose athletic abilities are higher for the Recommended Events, right? But as someone with low academic skills, I want to take that chance that try my luck in the Recommended Events, because we get marks if we win. Isn't that fair enough?"

A few students in class whispered their arguments in support of Sato-san. I couldn't downright shut her down. In fact, I was tempted to think that she had a point. However, it's hard to let everyone participate in whichever event they want to. It could lead to better emotional stability in the class, but we'd lose out on potential chances to win in that case.

"I see where you're coming from, Sato-san," I said. "But then we would be compromising on chances to take the win. Shouldn't we be more focused on that instead? Opportunities to gain Class Points don't come easy these days."

"But that still doesn't change the fact that those extra marks are tempting," Sato-san argued back.

"Isn't what Takeyama saying the only logical argument?" Sudo suddenly spoke up from the last seat. "I should participate in all the events. That's it." Such raw confidence. I wonder where he gets it from.

"It is inevitable that there'll be differences in opinion," I stated nonchalantly. "I think it is best to take a majority vote. In that case, I don't think there should be any dissent."

"Huh, a majority vote?! Why?! Isn't it obvious that I should be the one to participate in all Recommended Events?" said Sudo.

"I understand, Sudo. But do you think you can get 1st place in every single Recommended Competition, back to back? I won't argue if you can guarantee me that."

"That..."

However fit a person may be, securing back-to-back victories in a sporting event, which relies mainly on stamina and core body strength, is certainly not an easy task, even for someone as healthy as Sudo.

"It's settled then!" Hirata stepped in for me. "We'll have a simple vote to decide which plan we should execute. All those who are interested in Sato-san's plan, where we recommend students where it is necessary, and have fun where we can, please raise your hands."

Quite a few hands rose up in the air, which showed that Sato's idea was actually well received in the class.

"And those who are interested in Takeyama-kun's plan, where we recommend all the athletic students to take part in the Recommended Competitions, albeit keeping a few restrictions in mind?" More hands rose up in the air. I could see several students raise their hands for both, and a few students not raise their hands at all.

"That is... 16 votes for Takeyama-kun's proposal and... 13 votes for Sato-san's proposal," Hirata finished admirably. Sato could not do anything if her proposal was not in majority in the class. For now, the discussion had ended, and the class headed towards the gymnasium for a physical check test.

"Alright, so let's measure the grip strength of our dominant arm shall we? If you tell me the results I'll record them. I've borrowed two so we can measure more efficiently and save time," I said.

"Start with me, Takeyama," Sudo said proudly. "It'll be possible to set high standards this way."

"... alright."

It wasn't a logic that made sense. In the end, everyone is going to try their hardest, and record their individual strengths. It doesn't make a difference in who goes first. Sudo was probably just gonna brag about his strength.

"Keep looking, Ayanokoji. This is the strength of the man who will be carrying the class in this Festival!"

Saying so, he firmly held the grip machine.

"Uraaaaa!"

The numbers on the digital scale rose rapidly. It crossed 50 in an instant, climbed up to 60 and soon hit even 70. It did not stop, however. It continued to rise beyond, and eventually came to a standstill at 82.4kg. The surroundings briefly went into an uproar.

"You're way too freakishly strong!"

"Heh, it's because I've been training. Here Kouenji, you do it."

Almost as though it were a provocation, he showed off a value to Kouenji, who was polishing and blowing on his fingernails.

"I'm not interested. You may ignore me."

"Huh? You're scared of losing to me? Well, after seeing a value like that, it's understandable."

Kouenji ignored the obvious provocation, and proceeded to mind his own business.

"Tch, Hey Ayanokoji, you do it."

"I'll do it later."

"Huh? Stop messing around. Finish it off fast."

Ayanokoji reluctantly gripped the machine, and looked at me for a split second. I was rather curious of the value he was going to get, but knowing him, he was probably gonna hold back.

"Takeyama-kun, what's the average grip strength of a high-schooler?"

"I don't know. It'll be around 60."

Of course it wasn't around 60. The average grip strength of a male high-schooler is around 45-50, and the strong ones usually hit 55. 60 is a high value, and it would be considered as very strong. If Ayanokoji really did not know the average, then this would be perfect for roping him into the strong group.

He held it in his hand flexibly, and gave it a squeeze. The meter suddenly shot up, and easily hit 40. It continued to rise up, and it slowed down at 56, 57, 58... 60.6kg. Which is still pretty strong for a high schooler. It was so obvious that he had dialed down his strength to match the average that I had just mentioned.

"Hirata, I got 60.6," Ayanokoji reported unenthusiastically.

"Hmm? You're pretty strong, Ayanokoji," said Hirata. He jotted down Ayanokoji's score.

"Strong? Aren't I about average? It wasn't a remarkable value."

"I think the average is lower than that though? I'd say about 45 or 50?"

Ayanokoji looked at Hirata with a poker face, and then turned to look at me. A slow smile crept up on my face, and I resisted my urge to laugh.

"Takeyama, you do it." It would seem that I have managed to get under Ayanokoji's skin.

I gripped the machine, and decided to ponder a bit. How much should I get? I don't think I should overshoot Sudo; it would make me the talk of the class. I couldn't exactly come off as average either, since I had put up a decent show against Sudo and the second years during the summer vacation pool volleyball.

Something above average and Ayanokoji, but below Sudo.

I slowly tightened my grip on the machine, and the number began to slowly trickle up. I increased the strength of my grip, and the number easily reached 50. I slowed down a bit, and slowly made my way to 60. Just a bit more...

I fine tuned my muscles, and decided that this much was enough.

"65.7kg."

"Damn, Takeyama-kun is super strong as well..."

"Keisuke, you got 65.7?" Hirata looked at me, astonished. "You're really strong."

"Just some normal grip trainers, that's all."

Everyone in class finished measuring their values, and me and Hirata tabulated the results.

Sudo came in 1st place in the class, and I came in 2nd place. Ayanokoji was 3rd, Hirata 4th, with 57.9kg, and Miyake came in 5th.

"How unreliable, my class that is... except for me everyone is pretty much trash. It might as well be over after Takeyama and Ayanokoji," Sudo did not hesitate to show his dissatisfaction to the rest of the class.

After we boys finished measuring our grip strengths, we handed it over to the girls.

"So from the table, it looks pretty clear who we can nominate for tug-of-war and omnidirectional tug-of-war... we can just go in the order of grip strength. Sudo, Ayanokoji, Yosuke and me," I said.

*

I volunteered to return the grip machines back to the gym teachers, along with Ayanokoji. The silence as we headed to the Gymnasium a few hundred meters away was a comfortable one, not awkward in the least.

"Ayanokoji-kun."

"Yes?"

"How much is your actual grip strength?"

"... around 60kg."

"Stop messing around. I know you held back. You literally asked me what the national average was, and I purposely let out a higher number, so that you would also aim for a higher value," I said scathingly. "You would have gotten around 45 if I had stated that the national average was around 45. You don't have to lie."

"... so what do you want me to do?"

"Show me your true grip strength." Saying so, I forcibly handed over the machine to Ayanokoji. "Squeeze it with all you've got. There's no one here, so you can go ahead and do it."

Ayanokoji looked at me for a second, and then let out an exasperated sigh. He then consolidated his grip on the machine, and squeezed it.

The numbers shot up on the scale again, but this time, it was different.

There was no sign of stopping. The value easily crossed 60, and made it's way to 80. It did not stop. The value now showed 90.

95.

100.

105.

The numbers finally started slowing down, and I could see Ayanokoji's veins bulging out on his right arm. He proceeded to press it, and the number stopped at a jaw-dropping 109.6kg.

"You're a monster," I said with my eyes wide open. "You'll probably scare away the entire class if you showed this kind of brute strength."

"That is one of the reasons I held back," said Ayanokoji. "You do it." He handed over the machine to me.

"Me?"

"Don't act like I was the only one who held back."

"Hmph. Fine."

I squeezed the scale this time.

. . . . . .

"You're pretty much the same," Ayanokoji said, as he stared at the reading on my scale.

I looked down.

108.9kg.

"It's lesser than yours," I said begrudgingly.

"That's not a big deal," Ayanokoji said. "I'm surprised that you even managed to get that close. The difference in our numbers is practically unnoticeable."

"I guess."

"If both of us apply our full strengths during tug of war, we'll win," Ayanokoji said nonchalantly.

"We could do that, to be honest," I shrugged. "We could just pin the win on Sudo."

"Makes sense."

The 2 of us made idle talk as we headed over to the Gymnasium.

A/N's:

A dialogue intensive chapter. Not much action.
Thank you for reading! Please vote for the chapter! Cheers.

Chapter 31 - Reconnaissance

(School Grounds; Takeyama, Keisuke POV):

"Horikita, can I leave you in charge here?" I asked the black-haired beauty standing beside me.

Class D was currently on the track and field ground, and were having a warm up session before we start to time our races.

"Where are you going?" she asked back sharply.

"I'll be going and conducting spy missions on the other classes to get to know their sleep schedules so I can silently kill them at night."

"...?"

"I'm going to go and check out their athletic capabilities," I replied exasperatedly. "Do you not get it?"

"I'm afraid I don't," she replied with a hint of sarcasm in her voice. "You're going alone?"

"Why, is it lonely here without me?"

"What's wrong with you today?"

"I'm just feeling a bit excited, that's it," I said. "And yes, I'm going alone. You could technically come along if you want. We can let Sudo handle things here. They'll just be running anyways."

"Hmph, fine. I'll tag along. I'm interested in knowing what the other classes are up to as well," said Horikita. "It'll be good if we can conduct recon before the other classes."

"We're already last."

Horikita raised her eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

I pointed towards the school building. "Look up there, second floor." Horikita followed my finger's direction, and she noticed several students from different classes watching us practice from the hallway windows.

"Class B and C?"

"No, if I'm correct, that's Class B and A," I replied.

"Class A? Well, I suppose it doesn't hurt to know about the capabilities of your allies as well. But where is Class C? After the stunt they pulled off at the gymnasium yesterday, I assumed they would be wary as an individual class."

"Class C is still in their homeroom. It is evident from their windows. There are still students in the class. It seems they're not interested in watching us," I casually replied.

"Are they underestimating us?"

"It's not like you to get perturbed over trivial matters like these."

"I'm not perturbed in the least," she snapped back. "I'm merely curious as to why Ryuuen-kun would give up on such an easy opportunity to analyze Class D's capabilities."

"This is Ryuuen we're talking about. It's very hard to understand what he is thinking, even though is moves and actions are barely inconspicuous," I said. "He definitely has something else in mind. There is no point wasting more time here. We must get a move on. Club activities start in 5."

"Which clubs are you planning to visit?" Horikita asked me, as we walked side-by-side towards the main street.

"Soccer is number one on my list. Shibata-kun from Class B is a part of it. I've heard he's the one to watch out for from Class B. We could give the basketball club a visit as well. Komiya and Kondo from Class C will be there."

"Those 2 remind me of an incident I'm not very keen on having etched in my memories..."

"They've surely caused a lot of trouble for us," I said. "But I assume they would not have had the guts to pull this off if Ryuuen weren't behind them. There's no point in blaming them. I see Ryuuen as the main culprit here."

"I did not know a crafty and cunning person like you had such a compassionate heart," Horikita mocked me.

"Can you hold a normal conversation without mocking and harassing me for even 15 seconds?" I replied, a tad bit annoyed.

"I would if you gave me an opportunity to hold a spirited conversation instead of spouting nonsensical gibberish."

"Your way with words sting me."

"That was the intention."

"Do you hate me or something? I don't remember doing anything to garner your wrath," I said dismissively.

"You haven't done anything particularly appealing yet, or anything disturbing that would instantly turn me against you," she replied.

"Then can I say that you're teasing me?"

"That is the only logical conclusion that you should have arrived at."

"We're here."

I pointed to the large, turfed ground that expanded in front of us, and I could see the soccer coach probably giving a pep talk to his merry band of men. Club activities had just started, and all the players started running laps around the field.

"They'll be coming this way soon," Horikita said, as she watched all students from the First Year to the Third Year streaming towards our corner of the field. I noticed Hirata and Shibata running alongside each other somewhere in the middle of the crowd, and they waved at me as they arrived.

"Keisuke! Horikita-san! So you're here to watch us practice?" Hirata said, as he stood next to me across the grilled fence.

"Yup, just being a bit nosy for the festival," I joked. "Good evening, Shibata-kun."

"Good evening, Takeyama-kun," Shibata said cheerfully. We had become acquainted with each other during the Zodiac Exam, and were on good terms. "You're here to gauge Class B's abilities?"

"It seems our intent has become painfully clear," Horikita replied. "We're here to measure Class B and C's abilities for the upcoming Sports Festival."

"Well, sure! There's nothing I can do to stop you," Shibata said. "It's only fair, since our class has also been conducting some spy sessions on Classes A and D. So, what have you gathered until now?"

"Nothing much, really," I said. "Just that you're someone we definitely need to watch out for." Horikita incredulously turned to face me, as if saying, you're actually going to tell them, you lowlife?

I ignored the obvious mental daggers she was throwing at me.

"I guess we can't talk much today," Hirata said apologetically. "We're having a practice match today, so we need to warm up well." Saying so, the 2 of them bid us farewell, and continued jogging down the ground.

"Why did you make it so obvious that you were here for spying?" Horikita immediately pounced on me as soon as the other 2 were out of earshot.

"Would you believe me if I said that I was there only to watch a practice game? Or maybe you have a better excuse in mind?"

"You could have at least tried to sound like you were not spying. You literally threw out our entire goal to Class B. They'll become wary of us now."

"Lying to Class B is one thing that I don't want to resort to."

"The reason being?"

"They're the only class currently with whom we have strong and friendly ties," I replied. "Even among the other classes, Class B is most closely acquainted with Class D. Lying would strain our relationship. I want to keep this alliance intact for as long as possible. Unless we're thoroughly pitted against one another, I would like to remain on friendly terms with Ichinose and Co."

"I guess that makes sense, now that you say it," Horikita begrudgingly accepted my answer. "Besides, how do you know that Class B has the deepest connections with Class D? It looks misleading when you don't specify your source of information."

"It seems you've underestimated my information network."

"Does it comprise of you and your computer?"

"You're awfully rude. Chiaki is good friends with students from Class B. She's told me a number of times that Class B has confirmed that their relations with Class D are the deepest."

"I find it hard to trust her information. How can you prove it's validity?" she pressed me on for more answers.

"It's because Chiaki is a precious friend of mine, and I believe her."

"Such childish antics. You trust her just because she's your friend?"

"That is the only way trust can be established. Or do you perhaps suggest that we would be better off not using information that the class acquires? Even Hirata bases all his information of the other classes on trust alone."

"Well, I probably wouldn't know what that feels like, since I refuse to acknowledge friends. I don't see them as an important part in my attempt to reach Class A," said Horikita.

"Am I not your friend?"

"Wha-- !?" Surprised by my sudden question, she was taken aback, but quickly regained her composure. But it was enough for me to notice a slight tint of red on her cheeks. She really was a beautiful girl. Guys would be crazy for her if she fixed her tsundere attitude.

"O-of course not," she replied, puffing her chest out in pride. "You're just a partner, a classmate. Nothing else."

"Are you sure?"

"Why are you asking me this?" she snapped. "I just told you right?"

"It's because you need friends."

"..."

"Horikita, you don't have to do everything alone. You have people you can fall back on. People who will understand you, listen to you, give you suggestions, and who will criticize and judge your opinions. These people are the ones you need in your life, Horikita. You cannot walk alone."

"... what are you trying to say?"

"Nothing really. It's up to you in the end. You're the one who's going to decide your own future. So you must know that the perils of going through this school alone are high."

Horikita did not respond. She was staring at the ground, seemingly lost in thought at my words.

I sighed. "In simple words, I'm asking you to acknowledge me as a friend, because to me, you're an important friend."

Horikita's eyes widened slightly. She did not say anything, though.

She then spoke up.

"Well then, I think I can g-grudgingly acknowledge you as a fr-"

"Kouhai! What a pleasure to see you visiting me!" a sarcastic and irritating voice greeted me.Her words were cut off by the arrival of the person I least wanted to see at this moment.

"Nagumo-senpai..."

"Oh my, I'm terribly sorry. Where are my manners? Did I perhaps interrupt your date, kouhai?" he looked at me with a devilish grin.

In fact, you did, stupid Vice President. I was almost going to hear the school's ice queen herself call me her friend.

"You know someone from the Council, Takeyama-kun?" Horikita returned to her indifferent attitude, and maintained her cold but meek glare on the upperclassman.

"Why, of course he knows me!" Nagumo answered before I could respond to Horikita. "And if I'm not mistaken, you're Horikita-senpai's little sister, aren't you? It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person." Saying so, he shook her unwilling hand vigorously.

"So, kouhai, have you considered my offer? It's a simple one, you know? Most people don't think twice before accepting."

"I've already told you before, senpai. I'll think about it. It's something that I would like to take my time thinking about," I coldly replied.

"Hmm? Well then, it seems the 2 of you are here for reconnaissance anyways," he replied. "So you might as well watch a Class A upperclassman in action, kouhai."

Saying so, he jumped over the fence, and made his way into the center of the field, where the practice match was just going to start. His late entry seemed to have disgusted a few of the Third Year students. I wondered what was up with that? It seems Nagumo is particularly detested by the entire Third Year student body. Even the Council President Manabu Horikita thinks of him as a nuisance.

Maybe by joining the Student Council, I'll be able to dig deeper into the situation.

"T-Takeyama-kun," Horikita pulled on my sleeve like a lost child in the middle of a crowd. "What did he mean when he said 'accept my offer'? Did you, by any chance...?"

Ah, yes. I had completely forgotten about that part. Horikita's elder brother is the Student Council President. So being accepted into the SC would most likely mean being acknowledged by Manabu Horikita, something that Horikita Suzune has been trying to achieve for as long as she can remember.

"Yes. Nagumo invited me to join the Student Council," I replied, making sure not to mention Manabu anywhere in the context. "But I'm not sure if I should join. Besides, the interview is still left. I'm not sure if the President will approve of me."

"I see..."

"..."

"..."

. . .

"Horikita?"

"... I'll grudgingly acknowledge you as a friend."

There. Those magic words that came from Horikita's mouth. She was looking straight ahead at the soccer match, but the faint blush on her cheeks gave her away.

"Wow."

"Stop ogling me, you pervert."

"I didn't even do anything!"

She reluctantly sighed. "This is the first time I've actually said it. I can't believe I acknowledged someone like you as my first friend."

"Trust me, it was a good choice," I smirked.

"Do you want me to stab you?" She whipped out a compass out of thin air.

"N-no, I guess we'll get going to the basketball club then..."

*

We made our way down the main street. The basketball club was a bit farther away from the main building, so it would take us a while to get there.

"Why did Nagumo invite you into the Council?" Horikita fired her first question at me.

"To be honest, I don't know myself," I shrugged. "But I think it was just a string of coincidences. We just happened to keep walking past each other, and he thinks I'm interesting and whatnot."

"Interesting, uh..." Horikita fell into deep thought.

"You know, don't you?"

"Know about what?" She innocently blinked her eyes.

"My test scores on the entrance exam. I believe Chabashira-sensei leaked them to you without my permission. Nagumo knew about these scores; it was one of the reasons he decided to stalk me," I said.

Horikita sighed. "Don't tell me you were also hiding inside the kitchenette?"

"That's the first time I've heard of it. But no, I wasn't there that day. Ayanokoji told me about it afterwards."

"Well, then I guess it makes sense. Why do you and Ayanokoji have so much in common? Both of you decided to prank the school with bizarre test scores," said Horikita.

"I was bored."

"So you decided to screw your chances of getting into Class A because you were bored?" Horikita eyed me suspiciously. "If you had been serious from the beginning, you wouldn't have been put in Class D, at least."

"My, my, is Horikita actually worried about me?"

"Answer me or I'll stab you."

Once I was convinced Horikita had put her weapon away, I responded. "I did not know about the school's Class Ranking system until I got in, right? So I possibly couldn't have aimed for Class A or anything. For all I knew, all classes were the same. I just did not want too much attention, but seeing the way things are paced out here, I admit it is hard to do anything without gathering attention."

"You're an idiot. You shouldn't have held back. You're stuck in Class D now, right?"

"But I think it's good that I'm in Class D. I'm happy with my placement."

"...? Even Ayanokoji said that the other day. I don't understand you two at all. How are you happy with being in Class D?" Horikita actually looked dumbfounded.

"Our reasons are different," I said. "Ayanokoji is happy with being in Class D because he doesn't like to stand out. I, on the other hand, do not mind standing out. Starting off in Class D is more challenging. I just feel it is much more satisfying to climb from Class D to Class A, than starting off in Class A and maintaining your position."

"... your logic somehow makes sense. I cannot refute it. But I still feel it is unnecessary work to climb the rankings when you can be at the top right from the beginning."

"Mhm."

"Don't 'mhm' me," Horikita looked at me with cold contempt.

"Yeah, ok. How come Nagumo can be a part of the Student Council and the Soccer Club at the same time? I thought it wasn't allowed?" I asked a reasonable question.

"He's probably a part-timer, or something," replied Horikita. "I've heard a bit about it. You don't necessarily have to be a part of the club to participate in its ventures."

"You seem to know this. Were you a part of any club back in middle school?" I asked, mildly curious.

"Karate."

"Why was I expecting that?"

*

"I'm leaving."

"We just arrived."

"There's nothing to watch in the basketball club. It is clear that from the looks of it, Komiya and Kondo are complete amateurs. They've got the spirit, but this is not something that we should be scared of in the Festival," Horikita mercilessly judged them.

"Well to be fair, you're right. So does that mean we're done conducting recon?" I said in an attempt to start a conversation.

Horikita raised her eyebrows. "Are there only 2 clubs in your list?"

"There are 12 more, but I don't have very high expectations from any of them."

"We could probably visit just one more club," said Horikita. "Which one do you think we should check out?"

"I have no fascinations. You can choose."

"Let's go to the Tennis Club," Horikita said. "I've heard that there is a student from Class A that is a part of it. I'm not sure who though."

"Masayoshi Hashimoto. Blond with a ponytail. Sakayanagi faction," I gave her a brief introduction.

"I'm surprised you know him," Horikita said.

"Just acquainted from the Snake Group," I brushed her off. "That's pretty much the only information I have on him."

"We'll just head there, then."

*

Thwack.

Thwack.

The sound of the racquet connecting with the tennis ball was satisfying. I closed my eyes and hummed to the beat of the rally sounds before I was rudely awoken by Horikita.

"We're here for recon, not for you to take a nap."

"I know, I know. I just can't seem to see anything that is worthy of attention. Everyone is playing like they normally should. Nothing special about anyone."

I looked forward at the tennis match. Hashimoto was playing against a second year bloke. Even as a novice myself, I could clearly see that Hashimoto was winning. His follow-through had impeccable form, and he seemed to be particularly strong with his right-handed backhand.

The ball zoomed onto the upperclassman's side of the court, and returned to Hashimoto's side in an awry path. Hashimoto took his stance, and smashed the ball to the opposite end of the court. Another point for the ponytail.

"He's got good skills," Horikita said, as though reading my mind. "But it seems just a bit above average. Tennis skills are unfortunately not going to help him much in this situation."

"So are we done here?" I asked. "Maybe we should relay our findings to Hirata."

"Why Hirata?" she asked me with an annoyed voice. "I thought you were the Leader of the class. Why does he need to be involved here?"

"It's just a precaution," I said. "There should be at least a few people who know about the weaknesses and strengths of the top-tier participants this year, that's all."

"I would appreciate if you kept this information wrapped," said Horikita. "It's not like the other classmates will actually benefit from knowing who the top contender is. They probably will just keep it for namesake. It seems logical only for Sudo to know about it."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Besides, are you really joining the Student Council?"

"Where did that come from?" I asked warily.

"I've had it in my mind for a while now, and I just did not find a good time to ask," she said. "Are you really not going to join because you think it's going to upset me?"

"I did not say that."

"But it is written clearly all over your face," she continued. "You're hesitating to join because you think it will upset me that my brother chose you over me as a potential candidate for the SC."

"Are you asking me to join?"

"Yes. It will be beneficial to both you and the Class. You can get insider information on the Student Council, and also consolidate your position as leader of the Class. It is not a chance worth giving up just so you can please me. It doesn't matter to me whether you're acknowledged by my brother or not."

"So you've moved on?"

Horikita sighed. "If it were that easy. I still want to surpass him, and reach him. But he's still far away, like a light flickering in the distance. But it would irritate me more if my friend decides to take the wrong decision just to keep me happy."

"..."

"..."

"Horikita, you called me your friend. You're such a softie."

"Compass."

"... I'll join the Council."

A/N's:

I've reread this chapter again and again, and I'm coming to terms with the fact that I've developed Suzune's character more in 3500 words than the LN has in 21 volumes.

Alright, and now I'm suddenly simping for the Suzune that I've made myself. She'd be a good match with the OC, tbh.

I'm literally gonna flip a coin and decide on who the love interest is going to be. There are too many damn waifus in CoTE.

On the other hand, I'm completely loaded with Student Council work for the winter.
Yeah.
I'm a part of the Student Council.

I'll probably update a bit lesser than usual, around a chapter every 2-3 days instead of per day. I'll be back on schedule once I'm done with this stuff. Sorry for the delay.

Thank you for reading, and vote for Suzune! Cheers.

Chapter 32 - Double-Edged Sword

(ANHS School Grounds; Takeyama, Keisuke POV):

My little walk with Horikita seemed to have garnered massive attention among the girls in class, plus Sudo himself. It appalls me how a simple walk in the school with a friend can spark a controversy, and heated rivalry among the opposite sex. Horikita was not very popular in the class in the first place, so her hanging out with me apparently stripped her off the little respect that she had earned on the Island.

Speaking of which, it seems no one in our Class cares for Horikita Suzune anymore.

Once it was let out that I was the one behind all the results on the Island Exam and the fights with Class C before the vacation, the number of help requests that I received from the rest of my classmates exploded exponentially.

If you ask me, Horikita is an indispensable person who is almost certainly required if our class even hopes to reach Class A. Her individual abilities are no joke. Both her academic and physical abilities are very high for an average high school girl. I witnessed her fight with Class C's Ibuki Mio on the island — even though she was unwell, she did her best to hold up against a skilled fighter like Ibuki. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Horikita was the most skilled fighter among the females of the grade.

The class ostracizing her just because she was not directly responsible for the victory on the island made me lose a bit of faith in our classmates. She would have to climb back up to the top again from ground zero.

And of course, I would be there to support her on every step of the way.

"Looks like we're paired up for the 3-legged race, Takeyama," said Sudo.

I wondered back on how I ended up being paired with Sudo. His speed was unmatched in our class, so it was imperative that Sudo would be paired up with the second fastest person in the class so as to not waste his tremendous potential.

And I was apparently the next fastest after Sudo. It would have been unwise to beat him in the race, so second place it is.

"Yeah, let's do our best."

Saying so, I bent down and tied the string between my right ankle and his left.

"I'm not going to go easy on you, okay?" Sudo puffed his chest out. "Sure you can keep up with me?"

"Make sure not to overshoot, and I'll probably keep up with you. Don't go in guns blazing. I'll trip and bring you down along with me in that case."

"Yeah, whatever."

We readied ourselves at the start of the track-and-field course, and I positioned my left leg behind me, and Sudo mirrored my position.

"On your mark..."

"Get set..."

"GO!"

Sudo sprang up like a cheetah chasing it's prey, and poor old me was dragged along for the ride of my life. Sudo wasn't holding back, and it could be fatal for both of us if we fall down and injure ourselves.

"Sudo, slow down!" I said, hoping that my words would break through his thick skull.

"Try to keep up!"

"I'm trying!"

I had unintentionally increased my speed way beyond what I had showcased during the trials, and Sudo was genuinely baffled as to how I was able to match his pace. But I couldn't help it. Su-dog wasn't slowing down. And I couldn't risk injuring both of us for the sake of hiding my abilities.

I decided to increase my speed to match Sudo's.

"Woah, you're actually keeping up with me!" Sudo screamed in delight. "I wasn't expecting you to go this fast in a three-legged race!"

"Woah, Takeyama-kun is so fast!"

"Let's go, Takeyama-kun!"

We ended the race together, and Sudo patted me on the back, like a father would do to his son. "I thought you wouldn't be able to keep up! We should definitely pair up for the three-legged race! We'll show those Class C bastards what we're made of!" With that, Sudo struck a valiant pose, pointing his finger into the sky.

Hirata and a few of the girls came running over to me, and I collapsed on the ground, taking in deep breaths from the strenuous exercise.

"Keisuke, are you alright?" Hirata asked me, as he handed me a bottle of iced water.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. I just haven't run this fast in really long," I said, and I gratefully chugged down the water.

"Takeyama-kun, you were soo fast!" Sato-san squealed from beside me. "You're almost at the same level as Sudo-kun!"

"I guess I can go on short spurts as well," I said. "I'm not usually this fast."

The girls then started flailing about how 'humble' I was. Horikita pulled me out of the crowd to spare me from my suddenly growing fanbase.

"So now you're fast as well?" she asked me once we were a bit farther away from the group.

"Just a bit, maybe? A teensy-weensy-tiny-bi- OW!" I rubbed my left arm, which had been unfortunately chosen for the attack from Horikita's compass.

"Why do you hide your talents?" she spoke with a tone of annoyance. "I hate people who hide their abilities more than those who don't have them at all."

"They'll get scared of me."

"What do you mean, 'scared of you'? No one in our class is frightened of you," she said.

"Think about it as a trump card we can use later on during Special Exams. Going all out now would just dampen our chances of actually raking in Points later. The Sports Festival does not offer enough Class Points for me to fully show off my abilities."

"So you were holding back the entire time? Even during the grip strength test yesterday?" she asked me suspiciously.

"Well, in simple words, yeah. I was."

"But your grip strength score was considerably high. You were placed second in class, only behind Sudo. Surely you cannot beat Sudo?"

"I probably can."

Horikita raised her eyebrows. "What is the highest you can grip? Sudo had a score of around 82kg, which is incredibly high."

"Promise me you won't tell anyone."

"I promise."

"Take a wild guess."

"I don't know. When was the last time you truly measured your grip strength?" she asked.

"It was yesterday. I was secretly checking how much I could actually bench," I replied nonchalantly.

"From your tone, I would guess around 85. It cannot be possibly more than that," said Horikita, flipping her long, silky hair behind her back.

"You're not even close."

"Now I feel like you're just lying."

"I could show you with the grip strength machine, though," I replied.

"Just tell me how much it is."

"Around 108kg."

"..."

. . . . . . . .

"Excuse me?"

"Around 108.6kg or so."

"You're joking. I don't believe you."

"Wanna go to the gym and confirm?"

Horikita looked at me with wide eyes, perhaps trying to digest the number that I had just casually thrown into the air. She looked at me, but here eyes were glazed, and staring hard into me.

"I see," she finally said. "You probably did the right thing holding back, then."

"Don't worry. I'll use my full strength during the tug-of-war. It's not like anyone is gonna be measuring the force I exert."

"Yeah, let's keep it at that." With that, Horikita melted back into the class practice.

*

(Room 412; Takeyama, Keisuke POV):

Knock! Knock!

I swiftly woke up from my bed, having almost fallen asleep. I went ahead and opened the door.

"You're early."

"You asked me to come early." And without permission, Horikita strutted into my room as if it were hers, and plopped herself down on my bed.

"Why did you call me? Surely it isn't about the Sports Festival?" she threw a barrage of questions at me.

"It's something else. There'll be another person coming."

"Who is it?"

"Ayanokoji."

"Ayanokoji?" she wondered aloud. "A rather exemplary gathering."

"You were supposed to come at 4:30pm. It's 4."

"I don't see why it makes you so uncomfortable," she snapped. "I'll head back to my room if it bothers you so much."

"Please don't. Tea? Coffee? Hot chocolate?"

"Coffee. So you would be fine with allowing Ayanokoji in early, but not me? Such discrimination."

"It was necessary. I haven't had anyone over in my room before. It's a first. I wouldn't have called you if it weren't important."

"If it's related to the class, shouldn't you have invited Hirata-kun over as well? He's necessary to the class's development as well," said Horikita.

"Can you stop asking questions and actually listen to me? It's really unsettling."

"Fine. You can continue."

"Wait, you aren't gonna scream and shout at me?" I asked with genuine surprise.

"Do I come across as that dominating?"

"That was very bad choice of words."

"Pervert."

. . . . . . .

"The coffee is surprisingly good," she said, after taking a sip.

"It's normal convenience store instant brew," I shrugged. "There's nothing else that I added."

"What did you want to talk to me about?"

"It's about Kushida."

"About Kushida? What's wrong with Kushida?" she asked, eyeing me suspiciously.

"You were in the same middle school as her, were you not?"

Horikita almost choked on her coffee. "Where did you get that information from? Did Kushida tell you?"

"No, Ayanokoji and I arrived at that conclusion. We were taking a leisurely stroll outside the building, and were talking about some trivial things."

"Like?"

"During the first day of school, you didn't introduce yourself, and immediately walked out of class, did you not?"

"I did. But what does that have to do with anything?"

"You talked only to Ayanokoji that day, so he was the only one who knew your name. You did not go around telling your name to anyone, and neither did Ayanokoji. In other words, your name was only known to 2 students at that time in the school, including yourself."

Horikita slightly tilted her head, and motioned me to continue.

"However, the next day, Kushida walked up to Ayanokoji and asked for help in becoming friends with you. She used the name Horikita, even though no one else in the class was supposed to know that. The only possible conclusion was that she knew you from before, or she checked the nameplate on your desk on the first day. I dismissed the second option because it was anticlimactic."

"You... picked up on these subtle clues?" Horikita asked me.

"Not really. I wasn't very sure about this. I had to confirm with Ayanokoji because I hadn't talked to either of you on the first day."

"That... makes sense. I'll confirm; Kushida indeed was in my middle school. But where is this conversation headed?"

Just then, there was a knock at the door, and Ayanokoji walked into my room. He took the bed next to Horikita, while I spun around on my chair.

"Now that Ayanokoji's here, I'll just get straight to the point."

I unlocked my mobile phone, and navigated to the voice recorder app.

Such absolute idiots! I f*cking hate them! They keep staring at my body with such lewd expressions! A*holes! And Horikita-san! What does she think of herself? She's so goddamn irritating! Die, die, die, die, DIE!

I played the recording to both Ayanokoji and Horikita, and she did not look as surprised as I expected her to be.

"So you indeed took a recording?" Ayanokoji asked me this cryptic question.

"...? What is that supposed to mean?" I asked, perplexed.

"I opened the door to the rooftop on purpose that day, because I knew you were following me. Why would I intentionally open the door to the roof and get myself caught, when I could easily just stay hidden and listen in to her rants?" Ayanokoji explained his stance.

"So you opened the door because you knew I would take conclusive evidence about Kushida's alter personality?" I asked.

"Yes."

"I see. I guess I did a good thing turning on the voice recorder that day, or else your sacrifice would have been for naught."

"I was... sort of aware of her other persona," Horikita said suddenly. "It's not something that shocks me anymore."

"Anymore? You mean there is something more to her that you are aware of? Something that you're unwilling to share with us?" I pressed her on.

"I only know that there was an incident back in middle school."

"An incident?" Ayanokoji joined into the conversation.

"I do not know the details, but it seemed pretty bad. The principal and the staff members could not do anything about it. I was a loner back in middle school, so I did not associate myself or bother to know what exactly happened," Horikita finished her sob story. "Where did you get that recording, by the way?"

"I heard her ranting on the rooftop before the Midterms, during the time your study group existed," I said. "Ayanokoji was there, too. But he was on the other side of the door."

"... other side of the door? You mean Kushida-san knows that you are aware of her double personality, Ayanokoji-kun?" Horikita asked.

"Yeah, she kinda caught me." The monotone way in which Ayanokoji said that did not deliver the right emotion. "I don't have anything that I can use against her, unlike Takeyama."

"You can call me Keisuke. I don't mind."

"Right. Feel free to call me Kiyotaka in that case."

"This is not the time to deepen our friendly relations," Horikita said impatiently.

"You can call me Keisuke if you want to as well, Suzune," I said in a half-joking way.

"Do not casually throw out my first name like that again, or I'll stab you with a divider," Horikita said. "And no, I'll be sticking to Takeyama until later."

"'Until later'? You mean you're actually gonna one day call me Keisuke?" I raised my eyebrows.

"That's not what I mea-! Forget it. Get back to the point. I have to go and study."

"Right. So Kushida knows that Ayanokoji knows about her, but she doesn't know about me," I finished admirably.

"You were the one with the Midterm papers?" This was asked by Ayanokoji.

"Midterm papers? I thought you were behind them, Ayanokoji-kun," Horikita expressed her doubts.

"I technically was. Me and Kushida had asked an upperclassman to deal us the Midterm papers from their previous years. But Keisuke had already acquired those papers via Kushida herself just the day before that," Ayanokoji said.

"Wait, I don't understand," Horikita sat up straight. "Kushida-san acquired the Midterms question papers for Takeyama anonymously, and on the very next day, acquired those same Midterm question papers, from a different upperclassman, along with Ayanokoji-kun? She did it twice?"

"Precisely," I said. "It's because she obviously cannot tell Ayanokoji about my involvement. Because I held her captive with my recording. She would have to reluctantly go along with Ayanokoji's plan, even if she's technically already done it before. She valued her social status, after all."

"Kushida distributed the papers 2 days before the Midterm Tests, during the time when all study groups had pretty much completed all their syllabi. But I had asked Kushida to distribute it one day before the Midterm Test, not 2 days," said Ayanokoji.

"That would mean that Takeyama had asked Kushida to distribute the papers 2 days before," Horikita connected the dots. "She would obviously listen to Takeyama over Ayanokoji because you had the recording. It makes much more sense now."

"That was also a small something that raised my suspicions on a hidden mastermind in the class," Ayanokoji said. "I could not pinpoint Takeyama-kun, but I knew someone was working behind the scenes like me, and manipulating Kushida."

"Ayanokoji was working behind the scenes, and Takeyama was working behind Ayanokoji... it makes everything sound so distorted and ineffective when phrased that way," Horikita mumbled.

"I don't think we would have been working behind each other's backs if we were aware of each other's existence," Ayanokoji replied. "I'm pretty sure that once we individually confirmed the presence of another hidden mastermind behind the class, we tried to play out our own individual plans into action in hopes of foiling the other's plan."

"Wait, you both were working anonymously during the Island Exam, and trying to mess up each other's plans?" Horikita asked incredulously.

"Well, yeah," I replied. "We hadn't confirmed each other's identities before that. But we were pretty much thinking along the same lines. Our plans did not hinder or overlap each other."

"That's so hard to grasp... both of you had the exact same plan even though you hadn't even spoken to each other... " Horikita tried to wrap her mind around the situation.

"But what was the reason you called us here?" Ayanokoji asked me. "Is it to get Kushida onto our side?"

"Yes, but before that, I think I have a theory."

"A theory?"

"Yes, a theory which would explain how Ryuuen managed to figure out the pattern behind the VIP allotment with only 3 VIP's from his Class," I said.

"Care to explain?"

"I think Kushida betrayed the class."

Horikita narrowed her eyes. "That's a very serious accusation, you know that right? I know about her alter persona, but why would it be necessary to reveal herself to Ryuuen-kun? At the end, she is a part of Class D; a backstab would have been highly anticipated."

"But what if there was a backroom deal? Maybe the identity of the VIP in exchange for Private Points, say?" I pressed her on.

"So Kushida-san collaborated with Ryuuen-kun, showed him that she was the VIP, and now Ryuuen-kun, who is armed with the knowledge of 4 VIP's, easily figured out and confirmed the pattern? Needless to say, I think Kushida is very much capable of doing that," Ayanokoji summed up the entire discussion.

"But what is in it for Kushida-san?" Horikita asked the main question. "Even if it is just Private Points, she could have amassed 1,000,000 Points just by collaborating with the group. Does that mean her contract with Ryuuen-kun guaranteed more than a million points?"

"I doubt that is the case. It would seem that there was something else that Kushida wanted," Ayanokoji theorized. "Maybe a safety net for future purposes? A class to fall back on in case her position is threatened?"

"We cannot exclude any possibility now, because we do not know what Kushida is after. We can only be wary of her. I suggest and recommend strong caution when dealing with Kushida. She is, at the moment, very vital, and very dangerous — a double-edged sword."

A/N's:

Hello! I'm back with a new chapter, finally! Also, a quick note, expect the characters in the story to be OOC (out-of-character). I'm pretty sure you've already noticed it with Ayanokoji and Horikita. I'll try and make Ayanokoji's relation with Horikita a bit more open, and Horikita will not be the useless person she is in the LN.

Basically, Ayanokoji does not hesitate to show his abilities in front of Horikita, but that's for another chapter.

Thank you for reading, and vote for 2-faced bitch Kushida! Cheers.

Chapter 33 - The Curtain Rises

"How should we decide the order for the relay race, Keisuke?" Hirata asked me, as we made our final preparations for the Festival. The Sports Festival was now only 2 days away, and our class had trained as hard as they could for the Festival.

Unlike academics, where you can study the night before and actually get good scores on the paper, an Exam that marks our athletic abilities is harder to improve on for students who are lower than average. You cannot improve your overall physical prowess just by training overnight.

"Isn't it obvious? I'll go last. It'll make sense only for the fastest person to end the race, does it not?" said Sudo.

"I feel you should go first, Sudo-kun," Horikita said.

"First? Why should I go first?"

"It's because we'll need a stronger start. If you can give us a strong headstart, it'll make it easier for those who run after you to maintain an advantageous position. Also, the first person in a relay race is restricted to their own lane during the beginning, and lane changes are allowed once the baton passes onto the second runner. Starting from the second runner it's first-come-first-serve basis, right? And in the case that we get overtaken, it's specified in the rules that starting from the second runner onwards, we are permitted to use the outer lanes to overtake them."

"But..."

It seems Sudo wasn't convinced. And he shouldn't be. Even I'm not convinced. Certainly, if one can pull off a fast starting dash then from the 2nd runner onwards, their sprint will become easier.

But just by taking the vanguard, doesn't mean that he'll be able to shake off his opponents.

On the contrary, by using up Sudo right at the beginning of the race, the situation where the opposition runners slowly close the gap bit by bit puts pressure on the subsequent runners.

By placing Sudo as the anchor, or the last person in the relay, there's a possibility that he'll be able to bring out more power than usual in the final leg. If there are targets in front of him to chase after, then he'll have just as much fighting spirit left in him.

"The anchor is usually the fastest person, right?"

"This is a meritocratic school. It's no good to decide based on assumptions and preconceptions. The other classes should also be thinking of various strategies," said Horikita.

"Horikita."

"Takeyama, you understand right? Sudo should be the person to start the race for us. It's a good bet if we aim to win the relay," Horikita turned to me for assistance.

"I personally feel Sudo should be saved for the end, as the anchor. Is there a reason why you want to be the anchor, Horikita?"

"I --"

"Please give us a reason, Horikita-san," Hirata gently spoke. "We won't understand if you don't."

Horikita made a complicated face. She was finally beginning to tell us the real reason behind her odd decision.

"Because I think my brother... is the anchor..."

"Your brother, that's the... Student Council President."

"Yes, he's my brother."

So Horikita wanted to be acknowledged by her brother, which was the reason she wanted to be the anchor in the race. Unfortunately, she's being swayed by personal emotions. Horikita was the one who made a great debate about how we weren't supposed to pull our own mentalities into this, and clear the exam with the best possible outcomes.

"So, you want to be the anchor alongside your brother?" Kushida asked.

"..." Horikita stayed silent.

"There's just some personal issues," I butted in. "I don't think we should be poking our noses into her affairs. I'm fine with Horikita being the anchor. If Sudo is fine with it as well, then there shouldn't be any problems."

Horikita mumbled an inaudible 'thank you' in my direction.

"I was wondering what the matter was all of a sudden but that's how it is then... as for me, I still want to be anchor even now but if that's the case I don't mind handing it over to you." Sudo approved of the decision.

"Great! Then I'll go ahead and swap Sudo's and Horikita's names before submitting the roster. That's alright?"

"Thank you..."

Horikita lacks the courage to approach her brother. But if it's a contest, then they'd have no choice but to be pitted against one another, and they would be forced together.

I doubt anything concrete would occur during the festival, but if it can get Horikita closer to her elder brother, even by a tiny bit, I don't mind helping her at all.

*

The day of the sports festival was finally here. All students marched onto the ground just as rehearsed. It could hardly be called a march though; most of the students were only just disciplined enough to make sure that they don't disrupt the structure.

Third Year Class A's Fujimaki was the one who gave the opening declaration. On the outskirts of the school grounds, stands were set up, but there were hardly any spectators. I wondered why they even set up the stands.

On either side of the ground were 2 small cottage-like tents for either team, and class. Needless to say, the preparations for the sports festival were flawless.

I noticed a camera at the finish line, pointed directly at the position of race finishes. It was probably to resolve any ambiguity in the races. This meant that even if you lost the race by a hair's breadth, you would be awarded second place without any remorse. Every competition will have a victor and a loser decided. That was also probably the reason cheerleading and such, which were hard to score, were not included in the sports festival.

I was suddenly overwhelmed by the seriousness of this Sports Festival, but I shook it out of my mind nevertheless.

Suddenly, the voice of an announcer sounded out of the stadium speakers.

"First Years, Group 1, 100m boys dash. Please take your respective positions. I repeat ~~"

So they were already starting the events? They sure didn't waste any time. I was a part of Group 3, along with Haruki Yamauchi, so most of the pressure was anyways on me.

Sudo was a part of Group 1, and he stretched himself before getting ready to run off to the starting line.

"Good luck, Sudo. You're the star of the show this time. We're all counting on you," I threw out some encouraging words to the redhead.

"Hehe, thanks! I won't let you boys down!" Saying so, he bumped his fist against mine. A true bro.

Sudo headed down to the starting line, and took his position on the 4th lane from the inside. The pistol sounded, and Sudo dashed forward annihilating and leaving all opposition behind. He had a lead of almost around 3 seconds on the second placed person, and Sudo easily grabbed first place.

"Having someone like Sudo during a Sports Festival is sure very reassuring," Hirata mused. I nodded along to his statement.

*

"First Years, Group 3, 100m boys dash. Please take your respective positions. I repeat ~~"

So it was my turn now. I lightly stretched out my thighs and calves, and there was localized fervent cheering and shouting on a certain part of the First Year crowd. Wait, I'm famous in the entire First Year grade?

"Tch. Don't fall behind me, Takeyama," Yamauchi huffed, as he headed out onto the starting line, and I followed behind him.

"Kuku, look who's in group 3 as well."

I clicked my tongue in frustration. "Ryuuen. I can't say it's good to see you again."

"I don't care what you think about when you see me. I heard from sources that you're leading Class Defect now? So one defect dropped and another one popped up?" Ryuuen sneered.

It wasn't surprising that Ryuuen was aware of this development. I indeed had made a scene in the gymnasium alongside Class A, so it was inevitable that information would spread to the other classes.

"Your questions don't deserve answers, Ryuuen," I said indifferently.

"Haw, giving me the cold shoulder, eh? You'll regret it later, you know?"

Saying so, Ryuuen walked back to his position on the 3rd lane, and I took my position on the 7th lane. Yamauchi was in the 1st lane. It was purely wasted on him. I wasn't acquainted much with the rest of the students.

Crack!

The pistol echoed through the stadium, and all racers shot up, leaving a cloud of dust behind. I started off with a moderate speed, but slowly accelerated as we reached the 50m mark. I comfortably finished the race in first place, and Ryuuen took 2nd place.

" Huff, so you beat me this time eh? Good job with those scrawny ass legs," Ryuuen tried to provoke me.

"Sore loser?"

"Kuku, we'll see, Takeyama, we'll see." With that, Ryuuen left the course with a sadistic smile patched on his face.

"I let you win, Takeyama, because I didn't want to tarnish your reputation in front of the ladies," Yamauchi said. He had come in at an astonishing 8th place.

"Good work, Takeyama!" Sudo ran up to me and slapped my back. "The 2 of us are gonna annihilate all competition this time!"

"Yeah, sure. We will," I said. "It wasn't much of a big deal, though. I was pitted against slow runners."

"Well, that's there," Sudo accepted my humble disposition, and headed back to the sitting area. I sat back down at the stands amid massive cheering directed at me. To be honest, I wasn't ready for this kind of fame. Guess it's a perk of becoming Class Leader. Now pretty much all girls in the grade know my name.

The rest of the races passed without any hitch. Ayanokoji was a part of Group 7, along with Hirata. He finished in 5th place, exactly in the middle of the group, and Hirata seized first place. Ayanokoji really takes the meaning of average student to the next level. If someone were to look at his overall performance, he's so average that it's not counted as average anymore. Every single aspect, including his test scores, entrance exam scores, grip strength and down to trivial things like placement in the races, he's come exactly in the middle. Which makes it a bit suspicious to anyone who goes through his record.

It also brings a question into my mind — does Ayanokoji not realize that being 'exactly average' is not how a normal student functions? Given his intellectual abilities, it's very surprising that he did not take the human psych into account. Was he like this even in middle school? Did he always seek to be average, to the point where every single aspect of his life is exactly the national average?

Or maybe he was just trolling everyone?

The second option seemed more plausible.

"First Years, Group 10, 100m girls dash. Please take your respective positions. I repeat ~~"

"...?"

Horikita was a part of this group, and Ibuki, her self-declared rival, was also racing in this group. Was it a coincidence? Even in my group, I was pitted against Ryuuen, the one person in Class C who's very interested in me right now.

"I wonder if Ibuki-chan's athletic?" Yamauchi pondered.

"Who knows. But I'm pretty sure Suzune's gonna be the winner here," Sudo reflexively defended his best girl.

At the sound of the pistol, 7 girls shot forth. Ibuki had the advantage in the beginning, and Horikita lagged behind. But with a beautiful form, Horikita accelerated and closed the gap between Ibuki and herself. Ibuki must've lost her focus when she turned back to look at Horikita, and she had used that opportunity to close the gap. But Ibuki did not give up, and the race was completely dominated by those 2.

Eventually, Horikita was the one to cut the tape first, and Ibuki was just a fraction of a second late. The audience went into an uproar, but it was clear as day that Horikita was the winner. Ibuki clicked her tongue and kicked the ground in frustration.

"That was pretty close," Hirata walked up to me, and stood beside me.

"Yeah, Ibuki from Class C is indeed a good opponent," I replied. "I have a question, Yosuke."

"What is it?"

"Why is Kouenji sitting down there at the cottage? I didn't see him in any of the races. Or did I miss it?"

Hirata let out a disappointed sigh. "You didn't miss it. Kouenji-kun has decided that he will pull out of the festival, because he is apparently unwell."

"Tch. His potential is wasted on that trash attitude."

"Sudo-kun tried to go and stir him up, but Kouenji-kun flatly denied any interest in participating. I was there to mediate in case things got violent," Hirata said.

"Well, I think it was known that Kouenji would be a liability. With Kouenji and Sakayanagi out of the picture for the Red Team, we'll definitely incur penalty points, since they'll be placed last in all the races," I observed. "We'll have to somehow make up for his incompetence."

"You sure don't hold back even against your own classmates, do you?" Hirata said as he chuckled and ruffled the back of his hair with his hand. "But I agree. We need to make sure that we perform well so that we're not harmed by his absence."

The 100m dash for the Second Years was about to begin. I wasn't acquainted with any of them, except Nagumo and a few other names that I had managed to catch from the Pool Volleyball match I was dragged into on the last day of vacation. Nagumo was a part of Group 2, and he took first position without as much as breaking a sweat.

Group 3 consisted of a second year who I had identified as Kiriyama. I didn't know anything else about him, though.

In Group 7 was a girl with chocolate-brown hair that flowed to her waist, and generous proportions. She was Nazuna Asahina, a close friend of Nagumo. She comfortably took 2nd place in her race. The rest of the second years were all unfamiliar faces to me.

Among the Third Year groups, Horikita Manabu was a part of Group 2, and he took 1st place by a massive margin, almost 3 whole seconds ahead of the person in second place. It was undoubtedly a superb run. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Horikita nervously but intently stare at her brother. What, was she a brocon or something?

There was an announcement which... well, announced, that there would be a 15 minute break before moving onto the next event, which was hurdling.

This was an event which not everyone in our class was capable of doing, and for good reasons. Hurdling required intense calf strength and thigh and groin flexibility, and not everyone possessed these skills. In fact, it could be very much said that most of the class did not possess the skill to jump a hurdle every 10m for a 100m race.

This was an event where, instead of trying to make sure you're not last, you have to aim for a podium finish.

Most of the competition in the hurdle race will be inexperienced. Taking advantage of that will be essential in raking in more points.

Again, that depends on the rest of our classmates. I'm confident that I can take first place. Sudo will probably take first place as well. Ayanokoji would if he tried, but he won't.

"Psst. Ayanokoji." I whistled out to the brown haired man.

"What is it?"

"Think you can get 3rd or higher in this race?"

"I don't want to stand out," Ayanokoji gave his usual response.

"But most of the crowd is inexperienced with hurdling. You're in Group 1, and you're not up against too many athletic people. It would be a good boost if you could get a podium finish. Maybe not 1st, but 3rd."

"... alright. I'll get 3rd then," he replied matter-of-factly.

The Group 1 race started, and unsurprisingly, Ayanokoji came in 3rd place. He was along with Hirata in this race again, who had once again secured first place.

I looked up towards the screen in the stadium, which showcased the points that each team currently had at the end of the 100m dashes.

Scores:

Red Team: 2011 Points
White Team: 1891 Points

It seems we had taken a slight lead in the first race. But it would probably be overturned any minute.

"Koppu... I have a stomach ache... I think I'll pass," the Professor muttered from the side of the tent.

"Huh!? What do you mean, stomach ache?" Sudo flared up at this pitiful display. I sighed, and quickly walked over to the tent.

"No, I'm not feeling well! So I can't take part in the race..."

"Sotomura-kun," I called out.

"Huh? Takeyama?" Sudo snorted. "Look at this wimp. He apparently has a stomach ache."

"Sotomura-kun, it's alright even if you come in last place. You don't necessarily have to clear the hurdles. There's a 0.3 second penalty if you touch them with your foot, and a 0.5 second penalty if you touch them with your hand. So you can incur a maximum penalty of 5 seconds even if you knock all of them down. Participation is the most important part right now, so please try to stay in the race."

"... right. But please don't screw me if I come last, which I probably will. Koppu!" The Professor said, as he cited strange onomatopoeia.

"Tch. Takeyama, you're too nice," Sudo lamented. "I would have disciplined him properly, and probably scared him enough to run and actually get first place."

"We both know that is not possible," I joked. "I'm in Group 3, and my race is up next. I'll get going."

"All the best. Slay 'em."

I took my position in the 3rd lane this time, and to my left, I was unfortunately paired alongside Sho Shibata, one of the best contenders in the year.

"Takeyama-kun! Looks like we'll be racing against each other now! I'm not going to go easy!" he cheerfully said.

"Likewise, Shibata-kun. Let's do our best."

I bent down and clutched the ground.

The pistol crack echoed again, and I shot up and raced towards the first hurdle. I cleared it with relative ease. I could see Shibata right next me to my right. It seems we were the main competitors in this race. I slowly increased my speed, but Shibata looked like he had done this before. He had an elegant form as he jumped over the hurdles, almost as if it were second nature to him.

I shook away these thoughts and raced ahead.

We were neck-to-neck even until the last hurdle. After the last one was cleared, both of made a mad dash towards the tape, and cleared it almost at the same time. Even I wasn't sure who touched the tape first.

" Huff, Takeyama-kun! That was intense!" Shibata said, as he wiped his sweat of his brow.

"Yeah, that was a good race. I don't even know who won."

"Let's wait for the staff to check the cameras."

It seemed no one was quite sure who had come first in the race, even among the teachers and students. They rewinded the video, and it looked like I had touched the tape just mere milliseconds before Shibata. It was my victory.

"Damn, Takeyama, you beat even that Class B punk!" Sudo praised me as I trudged back to the tents. "That was the fastest I've ever seen you run!"

"Guess I was really fired up, having someone like Shibata as my opponent."

The hurdle races were extensively in our favor, but the Second Year and Third Year Class A and D students screwed up a bit, except for a few of them, like Nagumo and Manabu.

But what surprised me a bit was my Group and Horikita's Group, again. I may have ended up in 1st place, but it was clear that my Group had a student from the track and field club from Class C, as conveyed to me by Chiaki after the race. Even in Horikita's race, her opponents were Yajima-san and Kinoshita-san from the track and field club again, and she came in 3rd place in that race.

I had previously taken note of the track and field members during my reconnaissance with Horikita. The club had been empty when we visited, mostly because no one wanted their skills to leak out through club activities.

The ordering looked especially suspicious. Twice in 2 races now, I had been pitted once against the only track and field member from Class C, and Ryuuen himself in the first race. Horikita had been paired with Ibuki and 2 club members in her races.

It seemed too conspicuous to be a coincidence. I decided to investigate into the matter soon.

A/N's:

I don't know what to write here anymore lol.

Thank you for reading, and please vote for the chapter! Cheers.

Chapter 34 - Foul Play

Score:

Red Team: 2913 Points
White Team: 2810 Points

I absentmindedly stared at the score that was displayed after the end of the hurdling round. The Red Team was still in the lead, but we were slowly being caught up to. The Second Years, barring Nagumo, had a rather abysmal performance, which probably dropped our score a bit, and we ended up gaining lesser than points than expected.

"Alright, we've got capture-the-flag next!" Sudo screamed into the assembled crowd of boys from Class A and D. "We're definitely winning, you guys!"

Even though I am the de facto leader of this Sports Festival, I felt it would be optimal to hand over the reins to Sudo. He was experienced in these sort of situations, and even though he had a short fuse, he could very well lead and encourage the team.

I looked over at the other side of the field. We would be facing off against Class B and C, who were led by Kanzaki and Shibata, and Ryuuen for Class C respectively. I could make out Ishizaki, Komiya and Kondo, who were involved in a brawl alongside Sudo. There was also a tall African-American student who I was informed went by the name Albert Yamada, from Class C. He looked like he would be a strong opponent.

"Alright, Class D will go on offense first, and Class A will defend," I said. "It's better to stay separated Class-wise. It makes coordination easier among teammates. We'll flip the roles in the next round, yeah?"

The flags were hoisted by Class A and Class B on the other side. It looked like Class B would be doing the defending, while Class C would attack our side. It was an iron-clad rule that the attacking portion of one team cannot interfere with the attacking portion of the other team. The same holds true for the defending team as well. Hence, this would be a simple battle of strength between Class B and D.

"I've never done this before," Ayanokoji walked up to me.

"Neither have I," I shrugged. "Sports Festival wasn't really a big thing back in middle school. I pretty much used to skip it all the time."

The signal indicating the start of the match sounded, and Sudo charged ahead of everyone else. The more proactive members followed suit. Ike and Yamauchi were staring and running around in all directions, unsure of what to do.

"Don't kill anyone," Ayanokoji gave me a useless warning.

"That's rich coming from you," I snapped back.

"Stop Sudo at all costs!", the boys of Class B shouted out. Sudo rammed into their defense, which reminded me of a medieval age battering ram being thrown into the castle's walls. No one in Class B was a match for Sudo's overwhelming strength, and he picked the Class B boys off one by one and pushed his way forward towards the pole alone.

"I've made a way for you weaklings! Come and help me!" Sudo screamed back at the rest of the class.

Soon, 4 students grappled Sudo at once, and even Sudo's strength was subdued to an extent. I pushed my way through the throng, and managed to get somewhere around the center before a hand grabbed my shoulder, threatening to pull me away. I slapped it away with minimal force, and stretched out my left hand.

I just barely managed to scrape the flag. I needed to get closer.

I ducked into the crowd.

"!?"

It was harder to move around this way, and there was a good chance that I would get kicked in the face. I slowly crawled into the crowd, and pushed on one of the students who had held Sudo captive. He fumbled in his grip, and Sudo wasted no time in overpowering one of the individuals.

"Grab hold of Sudo and Takeyama as well!" Kanzaki shouted out his orders.

"Sudo, push forward!"

I managed to grab hold of the pole this time, and I had a firm unforgiving grip this time. Slowly, I pulled the pole in my direction, but it didn't budge even an inch. Their defenses were well organized.

We may have a powerhouse in Sudo, but the overall average strength of Class B was higher than that of Class D's. It meant that every person in their Class required a good amount of strength to pass through, which made it impossible for the weaker ones in our class to actually get a break-through.

"Takeyama, I got it!" Sudo bellowed, as he managed to latch onto the pole as well. "We'll pull together! Put your entire body weight into it!"

We pulled together at the signal.

The flag tilted a bit in our direction.

"Yeah, that's it, that's it!" Sudo screamed. "Once more!"

There was a loud screech of whistle, signaling the round to a halt.

"Wait, what happened?!" Sudo said, pushing everyone in his way.

Class C on the other side had managed to bring down our flag before we could. This round had ended in the White Team's victory.

"Tch, damn it! Put your back into it, you losers!" Sudo screamed at his fellow classmates. "We've got to protect the flag against Class C this time! Takeyama, you're the only one who actually helped me! We'll put up a solid front against Class C!"

"Yeah, we will," I said. "Watch out for the big guy in Class C, Yamada. He's really strong."

"Yeah, I will. Leave that bastard to me!"

Me and Sudo positioned ourselves around the flag, and we were the ones in charge of making sure the flag doesn't topple over, along with Yosuke and Kiyotaka. Our outer line defense was scattered with the medium strong students, and the weaker ones were in the middle.

"Uraaaaa!"

Class C viciously dashed forward into our group, and the stark difference in strength was apparent. Ryuuen stayed behind in the rear, laughing like a maniac and ordering his class to drag us down.

Class C was very clearly using foul play.

There were several instances of elbow pushing, which just bordered into the territory of foul play.

"OW! Who the hell just punched me!" Sudo screamed in agony, as the flag swayed a bit. "Stop punching me, goddamn it! It hurts!"

It seems Class C were brazenly and openly using foul play tactics, and several students from our class were suddenly giving up on the defense due to the pain.

Suddenly, I felt an immense pressure in my arms, and I realized that Sudo had fallen down, or more like, had been pushed down by some bloke from Class C, and a student I did not recognize mercilessly stamped his foot on his back. The entire weight that Sudo had been holding up until now was suddenly thrown onto Kiyotaka, Yosuke and I. We stumbled a bit under the sudden loss of a man.

"U-Urgh!"

Wait, did he die? Or break his spine? He twitched a bit, and slowly folded his back up. He must be in pain.

"Kiyotaka, can you cover for me?"

"Cover for you? Don't tell me..." Ayanokoji looked at me suspiciously.

I left my position to Ayanokoji, and the flag tilted dangerously forward. I pushed my way forward towards the large black man, who seemed to have injured most of the students in Class D.

"!?"

I held back and landed a direct surreptitious punch onto the solar plexus. It was a part of the body that could not be trained very well, so it was always vulnerable to physical attacks. I wasn't sure if my punch would have had much effect if I had just thrown it without any aim. I also had to make sure I made myself as small as possible to avoid being noticed.

The large man faltered a bit, and knelt down, clutching his diaphragm, and gasped for air. I felt sorry for him. I did what I had to do to win; I had nothing against him.

I noticed Ryuuen's smile falter as he noticed the tall presence go down. Everyone in Class C was engrossed in the tussle, so Ryuuen was the only one who noticed the loss of a man. I calmly headed over to Ishizaki, who was currently picking on Yukimura, and delivered a sharp cross chop to his shoulder pressure point.

"Gah-- !" His body stiffened for a second, and he held his right shoulder in pain, and fell to the ground like his counterpart. I quickly moved away from the scene, before Yukimura could notice my presence.

It was inevitable that someone would have seen me use foul play against Class C. But in my defense, Class C was doing it as well. If they reported me to the school, I could simply deny all their statements, and also turn in pretty much half of my Class as proof that Class C had been using foul play as well.

I was sure Ryuuen wouldn't pull off such a cheap move.

I walked over to Sudo, and helped him up among the fierce throng. It wasn't easy, but Kiyotaka and Yosuke were doing their best not to let the flag topple.

"You alright, buddy?" I asked, as I shouldered his body weight.

"Urgh... I'm gonna kill those bastards... thanks, Takeyama," Sudo mumbled sincere words of gratitude. "I'm fine, I'll go ahead and push the pole up."

"It's alright, we won."

"?"

Just then, a whistle sounded, signaling the end of the second round. Class A had managed to break through the solid Class B defense, and their flag was cruelly toppled over onto the ground.

"Hehe, nice, Ken!" Ike ran up to the 2 of us. "Did you see how I held back those musclemen? They stood no chance!"

"Don't waste time now!" Sudo bellowed, and Ike flinched. "We've got a tiebreaker round now, and we're supposed to be the ones attacking!"

After Ike scurried away in fear, I slowly talked to Sudo. "I saw what happened. You were trampled over by someone from Class C. Your back must be hurting."

"It's no big deal. I can manage this much pain. It doesn't make any difference."

"I want you to go and apply a muscle relief spray over at the teacher's tent. You can skip this round. It's important that you stay fit."

"Skip this round!?" Sudo said, taken aback. "You won't stand a chance if I pull out! Besides, I'm fine!"

"It's an order."

"...?"

"As the leader, I'm ordering you to skip this round and get your back treated. We'll try to hold up. In case you get more injured and are unable to participate in the subsequent events, it could be disastrous. Your presence is highly needed, Sudo. So please listen to me, and head over to the infirmary. I'll come along."

"Tch. Fine, I'll go. You worry too much, Takeyama. But thanks. You don't need to come along. I'll apply some relief and be back soon."

Saying so, Sudo waved me off and jogged over to the infirmary. I watched him go, and I turned around to meet Ryuuen face-to-face, and his usual smile had been replaced with a frown.

"Kuku, I thought you were the goody two-shoes type, but it looks like you're just as evil as me," Ryuuen snickered as he combed back his hair. His hair was unnaturally shiny (?)

"I did what was needed to win," I replied. "Besides, I'm pretty sure I didn't hamper your underlings. They should still be able to participate in the competition."

"Yeah, that's that. I'm not worried about Albert. He'll be fine soon enough. But Ishizaki's acting as though he had the soul pulled off him. You're really sneaky, Takeyama. Pulling off such violent actions without thinking twice. I thought you were just smart, but you brought down Albert in one hit. You're a demon."

"Think about it any way you want. I'll be grateful if you keep yourself dignified throughout the event, and not engage in such meaningless tactics. Come at me like a man, Ryuuen. Don't be a pussy."

"Says the person who enacted said pussy's strategy," Ryuuen sneered. "I'll have both my eyes on you, Takeyama. Your words are gonna come and bite you back in your ass." Leaving me with wholesome parting words, Ryuuen turned his back on me, and walked back to the other side.

I turned to face the Class, who had witnessed the altercation between me and Ryuuen happen from afar. Chiaki was the first one to approach me.

"Keisuke, did he say something? Ryuuen, I mean," she asked, with a concerned look in her eyes.

"No, nothing important. Just his usual attitude of how he's gonna come and crush us like cockroaches and stuff," I deadpanned.

"We'll have to make through this round without Sudo," I announced to the entire class. "I know it's gonna be hard, but we'll do what we have to do to win. We cannot rely solely on Sudo. We all must contribute to winning."

Without Sudo in the lead, the mantle fell upon me and Hirata to lead the class into the battlefield. The last round would start any minute now.

Fweep!

The whistle sounded, and we slowly made our way to the enemy side. Class B would be a tough nut to crack. They rely on their unity and motivation to give them strength. I would definitely refrain from using violent tactics against Class B. They were too nice for me to even think about raising my hands on them.

We would have to win this game fair and square. Since Class B's defense is much better, and Class C will obviously not hesitate to use underhanded methods against Class A, we need to act fast.

I quickly and deftly lowered myself to knee level, and proceeded to squeeze in between the confused and surprised Class B.

"Wait, Takeyama sneaked in between our legs!" a random student from Class B called out, and Hirata took advantage of the sudden mayhem to dislodge Class B's defense by concentrating the attack on just one spot.

Class B had a well-mapped out overall defense, but they falter in terms of individuality.

Which means by concentrating the attack on just one portion of the defensive circle, we'll force them to abandon their positions from the sides and join in to the middle tussle as well. This will be enough to break their unity.

"Kiyotaka, Yosuke, lend me a hand here!" I cried out. It was hard to break in alone. Moreover, Class B was wary of me, and 3 people had already latched themselves onto me, preventing me from going forward without expending more energy that I already used. I did not want to show my full strength.

The 3 people on me were Shibata, Kanzaki and a boy who I was not acquainted with. However, judging by the strength of their holds, they had almost definitely sent the 3 strongest students in their class to deal with me.

"Phew, Takeyama-kun, you're really strong!" Shibata mused, as he caught me in a friendly grapple. "It's 3 on 1, and you're still pushing through!"

"Well, I'm finding it hard to push through, you know?" I joked.

Soon, Miyake managed to get hold of the flag, and latched onto it for dear life. Miyamoto and Hondo followed suit, and even Ike managed to grab the pole. The flag descended a bit, and I finally freed myself from their grips by ducking into the crowd once again. I gripped the pole as well, but I was being pulled back with great force by the 3 of them.

I grinned.

"Wait Shibata, Beppu, don't pull anymore!" Kanzaki shouted, and the 3 of them released their grasps on me. "He's caught the pole! If we pull him now, we'll just help in bringing down our flag!"

But it was already too late. The flag tilted downwards dangerously, and with one last heave-ho from all Class D students, the flag was pulled down to the ground with great difficulty.

Fweep!

The round ended in Class D's victory. I looked at the other side. It seems we won by just a narrow margin — our pole was also tilted by almost 40 degrees, and we had just barely managed to scrape the win.

"Nice going, Takeyama!" Sudo shouted from the tent. "We won!"

"Ahh, Takeyama-kun is so strong!"

"Hirata-kun is so strong as well!"

"Takeyama-kun, marry me!!"

I headed back to the tent, and was greeted by ecstatic cheers from both Class A and D.

"Good job, everyone," I said, after chugging down a bottle of water. "I want everyone to apply some sort of ointment on any external injury that they received. I'm sure many of you will have a few, considering that Class C was pretty rough when we were defending. It'll be a shame if anyone ends up falling sick due to their injuries."

The class murmured in approval, and Chabashira-sensei dropped in 3 first-aid kits with us, and wordlessly returned to the stands. I watched her back as she left.

"It looks like we're on a roll," Katsuragi chimed in. "It'll be good to keep up the momentum in the following matches as well."

The girls had already started the ball-toss game, or known as Tamaire, or something. I wasn't really sure, so I decided to stick to 'ball-toss game'.

"Hopefully they'll win as well..."

After the round was completed, a teacher came into the center and counted out the balls in the basket.

"... 54 balls. Red Teams wins."

2 consecutive wins. This was surely going to be a morale booster for everyone in the AD coalition. Without giving us any time to think, the boy's tug-of-war event was starting.

"They can't use any underhanded tactics this time," Hirata said to the assembled gathering. "Since we're separated by Class, Class C will have to rely on brute strength only to win this event. It's a simple strength vs strength."

Everyone nodded along with Hirata's words, and we headed out to the field.

"Arrange yourselves according to your heights," Katsuragi commanded his class. "It'll help us bring out the maximum force that is possible in our class."

"Hey Katsuragi, I'd rather you not arrogantly take charge of the class forever," a mocking voice descended over the gathering.

"I don't see what you imply, Hashimoto," Katsuragi narrowed his eyes. Was this the real face of the civil strafe within Class A?

"Exactly what I mean. Class A is stalling and is falling behind because of your leadership. Can you say for certain that your strategy will work this time?"

Our class was completely focused on the word-war between Katsuragi and Hashimoto, but I reverted my eyes and scanned through the camp.

Sakayanagi, who had been sitting and watching us as a visitor the entire time, had a small smile form on her face. She could see the boys quarreling even from that distance.

It was clear that this was not Hashimoto's plan, but in fact Sakayanagi's doing.

"So what's it going to be Katsuragi-kun? Can we really win with this strategy?" Hashimoto further pressed for a sign of immaturity.

"We're agitating even the students from Class D. We should proceed with this contest calmly."

"That's not the answer... ?"

It seems Hashimoto wasn't going to back down. There was no need for me to insert myself into Class A's internal affairs; in the long run, this could evidently dismantle their class unity and will help in ascending to Class A sooner.

"Hey, Katsuragi-san is telling you lot to do it, so hurry it up! Don't give us this shameful act!" Yahiko was the one who voiced his support for Katsuragi.

"I have no intentions of refuting the doubts you feel towards my leadership. But if we lose here due to 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?" Hashimoto sniggered as he held onto the rope. "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 seemed to have simmered down, and everyone took their positions on the rope.

"Heave-ho, heave-ho!" Sudo shouted, and the match started. The BC coalition was not cooperating at all, it seems they had merely separated themselves by class.

The rope was tight, and it seemed that Class C was not going to give up. I was half expecting Ryuuen to let go of the first round, and hit back in the second, but he seems to be going all out right from the beginning.

The rope was currently in equilibrium, but it soon turned into their favor and the match was won by the BC coalition.

"Ah, what the hell!?" Sudo shouted. "They beat us that easy! Is someone holding back?"

"It's alright, Sudo-kun, we'll get them back in the next round," Yosuke assured the short fuse.

"Can I have everyone's attention for a second?" All heads turned to me again.

"No offence, Katsuragi, but I think we should change our strategy. It didn't work because we couldn't bring out our whole power."

"Are you saying you have a better strategy?" Katsuragi said, as he eyed me skeptically.

"Let the man speak, Katsuragi," Hashimoto echoed the Sakayanagi Faction's sentiments. "I'm willing to follow through with his idea."

"Well, it's a simple one. Instead of arranging yourselves according to your heights, arrange yourselves according to your strengths. This could get a bit awry, so I suggest splitting classes this time, and place yourselves alternatingly. No part of the rope should have only weak people on it. The strongest stay at the back."

"Woah, I lost you somewhere in between, Takeyama," Ike scratched his head in confusion. Yosuke chimed in.

"I think Keisuke's strategy could work. It's a really simple method — distribute the strong and the weak in ascending order throughout the rope. With this method, the front of the rope starts out with strong people, the weak ones stay in the middle, and the strong ones again stay at the back."

The group murmured in approval of my plan, and we spread ourselves out in the best way that we could to carry out the plan. I was placed at the front alongside Yosuke and Miyake, and Kiyotaka and Sudo were the ones at the back, along with Hashimoto and Kito from Class A. Katsuragi was in the front along with me as well. His calm face did not show any sign of discomfort as I had shot down his idea in front of his own class.

Now that I think about it, having berated Katsuragi in front of his own class was bound to have repercussions on his credibility. I had unknowingly helped and fortified Sakayanagi's position as the class leader this way.

Whether this was a good thing or a bad thing, I'm not sure yet.

Fweep!

The whistle sounded once again, and we pulled with all our might. Even I put all my strength into this, and so did Kiyotaka (hopefully). If we ended up losing this round, then the blame would be shared by me as well, since the idea was mine.

The equilibrium was slowly shifting towards the right, in the direction of the AD alliance. With fervent shouting and cheers, I tilted my entire body, tightened my grip, and pulled on the rope one last time.

The BC coalition gave in, and we won ourselves the second round.

"Haha, way to go, Takeyama!" Hashimoto shouted from the back. "It seems your plan was much more effective than Katsuragi's. Good thing we listened to you."

What was the reply to that sort of praise? I couldn't just say, ' yeah thanks, but Katsuragi was being an asshole' or something of that sort. I decided to just nod along with Hashimoto's vigor.

The last round of tug-of-war started without any delay, with the staff probably impatient with the number of tiebreakers that the First Years are going through this year. The rope was currently moving in our favor, and suddenly it felt light.

The rope felt extremely light, and I quickly released my grip on the rope. Everyone behind me fell backwards like dominoes, and I was the only one left standing right at the beginning of the line. I looked towards the other side. Even Class B had fallen forward in the process.

We've won, but at what cost?

"Yo, what the hell?" Sudo and a few of the others clearly voiced their displeasure. "Class C just blatantly left the rope!"

Ryuuen laughed at us from the other side. "Kuku, I just left it because I knew we weren't going to win anyways. What's the point of wasting time and energy?" Saying so, he and Class C headed back to the camp without even apologizing to their Class B counterparts for abandoning them.

"Class B's sure got it rough," Yosuke said, as I helped pull him up. "They're completely lacking in coordination."

I nodded once, and stared at Ryuuen's back, as he jovially left the field.
Just what are you planning to do, Ryuuen Kakeru?

A/N's:

I just realized that I did not specify which character inspired my OC's looks.

And it's Izumi Miyamura, from Horimiya. Keisuke Takeyama basically looks like Izumi Miyamura. So you know how hot we're talking about.

Like fire stuff.

Maybe not the piercings. Or maybe there are piercings.

You know what, Keisuke has piercings. Because it looks cooler. His physique isn't as scrawny as Miyamura, he's a little well built, but looks exactly like him.

Alright, thank you for reading! Please vote for the chappie! Cheers.

Chapter 35 - Theatrics

"It's happening again," I murmured to no one in particular, but it looks like Chiaki heard me.

"What's happening again?" she cheekily asked me, flipping her long walnut hair over her shoulder. Needless to say, Chiaki Matsushita was one of the prettiest girls in our grade. She may be overshadowed by Kushida and Ichinose in terms of popularity, but her figure and proportions were absolutely top-notch. I've heard that many students from across classes have a crush on Chiaki. Focus, Keisuke. Focus.

"Sudo is paired along with Suzuki and Nomura, the 2 weaklings from Class C. On the other hand, Horikita is paired alongside Kinoshita-san and Yajima-san from the track and field club. I'm also paired again with Ryuuen and Albert."

"Huh, you're in the same group as Ryuuen again?" she asked, genuinely baffled. "That's like, the 3rd time now, right?"

It was true. In the 100m sprint, I was paired alongside Ryuuen. In the Obstacle Course Race that just I just finished, I was also paired with Ryuuen. I came in 2nd place this time, mostly because my shoe laces were untied, and I almost tripped on the balance beam because of that. But that was not the point.

"Do you think..."

"Yes," I answered in the affirmative. "I think our participation sheet was somehow leaked to Class C. I'm surprised that someone is trying to betray the class." I, of course, cannot mention to Chiaki that I already have my eyes on Kushida as a prime suspect. She's still seen as an angel in the class, and I don't want to hurl any false accusations on her, in the slim possibility that I was wrong about her.

"Do you have anyone in mind?" Chiaki asked me.

"Nope, no one comes to my mind right now. But I'll find out soon enough."

"Right. Looks like it's my turn! Cheer for me, okay~" And with a cute wave, she trotted along the ground to the start line.

"T-Takeyama-kun?" I heard a timid voice behind me, and I turned to see Mori Nene from my class, nervously calling out to me.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry f-for asking but... what's the r-relation between you and C-Chiaki-chan?" she fidgeted with the fingers on her hand. I sighed.

"We're just friends, that's all. We're not dating or anything," I confirmed the real question I knew she wanted to ask.

"O-Oh, okay!" Mori-san was visibly flustered when I easily revealed that I knew her true intentions of asking. "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable, Takeyama-kun!" Saying so, she dashed back to her group of girls, and most possibly relayed her newfound information to her accomplices, who seemed to nod and sneak glances in my direction.

I turned back to the race. Chiaki was placed 3rd in the obstacle course, which was a good position. She jogged and smiled at me as she made her way back.

Horikita's race was up next. She was again pitted against Yajima-san and Kinoshita-san.

The race was a close one. Yajima and Kinoshita, being from the track and field club, knew what they were doing, and crossed the balance beam with ease. But Horikita was not one to lose out, and the 3 of them were neck to neck throughout the race.

Kinoshita fumbled during the sack race — where you basically put both your legs inside a sack and hop like a rabbit. Horikita took the lead on Kinoshita during this time, and tried to close the distance between herself and Yajima.

There was only 50m remaining, and they were now sprinting the last stretch. Horikita must've slowed down, since she was constantly flicking her eyes back at Kinoshita, to see whether she had caught up or not. Eventually, there being only 20m left, Kinoshita and Horikita were side-by-side, and were caught up in a tumble.

Both of them fell, and the several runners behind passed them by. Horikita wasted no time getting up, and finished the race in an unimpressive 7th place. Yajima had finished first, but Kinoshita remained on the ground, apparently clutching her left leg in pain. Had she injured it in such a light fall? And she calls herself a member of the track and field club?

I slowly walked up to Ayanokoji.

"You notice anything different?" I asked the ever-composed man.

"Horikita is the not the type to be distracted easily," he said. "She is someone who has high levels of concentration. It was strange that she kept looking back to see whether Kinoshita had caught up or not. She should know better than anybody that it'll only hamper your speed if you turn around while running."

"I echo the same sentiments. I'll ask Horikita now; she's headed back. I just hope that she's not injured. It could severely affect the outcome of the girl's matches."

"I'll come along."

Horikita slowly trudged back to camp, probably dissatisfied with the way things turned out. She stopped in front of me and Ayanokoji.

"Are you hurt?" I asked.

"No, I didn't hurt anything," she replied indifferently.

"You're lying." Saying so, I lightly but playfully stepped on her left foot. Horikita flinched, and the expression on her face was contorted in slight pain.

"Stop doing that. If you touch me again, I'll stab you."

"Go to the medics. Get something done to your leg," Ayanokoji chimed in.

"... fine. But it's not anything serious. I'll crawl if I have to in the races. But I'm not going to back out," she replied forcefully.

"That's alright; I'm not asking you to back out," I said. "Just get your leg treated. It won't take much time."

"Kinoshita-san was calling out my name," Horikita said.

"Calling out your name? Was that the reason you kept looking back at her?" I asked, my curiosity thoroughly piqued.

"Yes. She was calling out my name, and I was forced to turn and look at her. I didn't pay much heed to it, but she deliberately crashed into me. I know it," she said.

"So it was done out of malice? It's a trap by Class C?" Ayanokoji asked.

"Mostly," I replied. "I'm going to go check something out, Kiyotaka. I'll be back soon." Saying so, I left the camp, and headed to the opposite side of the field — towards the Class B and C tents.

*

"Hey, where do you think you're going!?" Ishizaki said, as he suddenly threw himself in front of me. The air in the BC camp was heavy, and all eyes were focused on the unexpected intruder.

"I'm here to borrow a muscle spray," I said calmly. "Our camp ran out of it a while back, and it seems that the extras are kept here."

"O-oh, I g-guess you can go then..." Ishizaki said, thoroughly unconvinced. The rest of the camp from Class B seemed to be convinced though, and they went back to minding their own business.

I flipped the flap to the campsite, and I headed into the tent.

"Wait, don't go in!" Ishizaki suddenly grabbed my hand. "I'll get it for you!"

"Do you know where the extras are kept?"

"..."

"I'll just go and come back, it's a matter of 5 minutes. Come along if you're so insistent," I exasperatedly sighed.

"Yeah, I'll come along!" he said, and he pushed his way into the tent before me. I sighed again, and I followed him into the tent.

I jogged and made my way to the beds.

"W-Wait, why are you goin-" I quickened my pace, and I arrived at the door of the only occupied bed, and slammed it open.

Kinoshita was sitting down on the bed like nothing had even happened to her, and Ryuuen was there as well. His eyes widened upon seeing me, and he threateningly glared at Ishizaki. Of course, to Ryuuen, it probably looked like that Ishizaki had brought me here. But I doubt he was that dumb.

"The fuck are you doing here?" Ryuuen growled.

"R-R-Ryuuen-san, I tried to s-stop him, but-"

"Oh, nothing at all. I just came to get an extra muscle relief spray," I mercilessly interrupted Ishizaki's rambling. Saying so, I nonchalantly made my way into the room, and grabbed the only available muscle spray I could see.

"Looks like Kinoshita-san is doing absolutely fine," I said, as I eyed the girl up and down. She was sitting on the bed cross-legged, which would obviously mean that her knees and thighs weren't hurting. Her face did not show any sign of pain either. "Was that fall during the race all theatrics?"

Kinoshita's eyes were wide open, and she frantically tried to come up with an excuse. "W-what do you mean? It h-hurts a lot, you know? That Horikita purposely dragged me into th-" But one signal from Ryuuen shut her up.

Ryuuen continued to stare at me, and then his frown was replaced by a smile.

"Kuku, looks like I completely underestimated you, Takeyama," Ryuuen said gleefully. "Here I thought I could have Kinoshita fake an injury and drag Suzune into a mess, but it looks like you caught me red-handed. Kinoshita is completely uninjured, after all."

Ishizaki silently watched the scene unfold, and he kept himself posted at the door; probably to look for intruders.

"You're really nasty, Ryuuen," I said. "You said you'd come at me with all you've got. And this is all you've got? You're resorting to lowly methods because you know very well that you cannot beat me in a fair fight?"

"I know my limits very well. You're the demon who took down Albert in one punch. I'm not gonna try my luck in a fistfight with you. I'll probably die," Ryuuen laughed off his self-deprecation.

"Took down Albert in one punch!?" Ishizaki murmured, and suddenly flared up. "Wait, you're the one who attacked me as well then during capture-the-flag! It hurt a lot, goddamn it!"

"I just did what you were doing," I snapped back at Ishizaki. "You were using unfair means, and so I decided that it wouldn't matter if I used a bit against you as well."

"Ryuuen-san, we can get Takeyama disqualified!" Ishizaki suddenly said. "We just need to show them that Albert and I were hurt! Then they'll surely dr-"

"Shut up."

2 words that immediately sealed Ishizaki's mouth shut. I calmly analyzed that Ishizaki's mental prowess was probably lower than that of a lab rat. I had already come to that conclusion during the Zodiac Exam, but his levels of stupidity were reaching new lows.

"Well then, I guess I'll get going," I said. "It would be great if you played your part and not drag Horikita into this. Though I see no point in you going and lodging a complaint against Class D. I've already seen through your façade, so it'll be in your best interest to rest the case."

I slowly tossed the muscle spray to Ishizaki, who fumbled around and caught it, and I left the room.

*

"Kanzaki-kun."

I called out to the handsome young man sitting down on the first row of the BC coalition crowd, and he immediately responded by leaving his seat and making a beeline towards me.

"Hello, Takeyama-kun," Kanzaki naturally greeted me. "Did you perhaps not find a muscle spray inside?"

"Kinoshita is uninjured, and I want you to act as a witness."

Kanzaki narrowed his eyes, and quickly surveyed his surroundings. Once he was sure that we were not being paid attention to, he turned to me.

"You mean she's faking her injury?"

"Yes, precisely. She is absolutely fine. I went into the tent under the pretext of getting muscle spray, but I instead barged into Kinoshita's room. She was sitting on the bed with no visible distress, and Ryuuen was there too. I confirmed that she was acting. I want you to be a witness so that in case Ryuuen makes a fuss over Kinoshita really being injured, then you can stand up for me. Having someone from their own side fighting against them will indeed win us the case."

"I see. I don't mind being the witness. But just for precautionary measure, I want to check whether Kinoshita really is fine," Kanzaki stated the obvious. "Even though I trust you, it does not change the fact that you're currently our opponent. So I must be sure."

"I was not expecting anything less from a Class B Leader," I said. "It'll be unwise for me to go in again. She's in the last room."

Kanzaki nodded, and he entered the tent. After a few minutes of patient waiting from my end, he exited the tent as well, and jogged over to me.

"It seems you were speaking the truth. Kinoshita really is uninjured. Do you want this incident to stay under wraps?"

"Yes, it would raise needless questions if it were to be exposed," I replied. "It's not like Ryuuen would be fazed by these actions; he doesn't really care if we use it against him."

"True that. Class C does not hesitate to use dirty tactics, after all," Kanzaki mused.

"I guess having Ryuuen as a leader does that to you," I said. "I must get going; the cavalry fight is about to begin."

"Good luck to you, Takeyama."

"Good luck, Kanzaki."

After bidding adieu, I headed back to my camp.

*

Next up was the boy's cavalry fight. It was one of the more anticipated team events lined up this year, so it was natural that Sudo and the rest of the class were either very excited or very scared.

"Hirata, Takeyama, Ayanokoji and I will form Class D's strongest horse," Sudo declared. "Who should we make the jockey?"

Almost simultaneously, both Ayanokoji and I pointed towards Hirata, and he was confuzzled by our impeccable coordination.

"Why me?"

"Because the jockey needs to be both athletic and on the lighter side," I said. "You're the only one who possesses these qualities. You're the perfect person for jockey."

Hirata lightly scratched his neck. "Well, if you insist, I will definitely fulfil the role of jockey."

Saying so, Sudo bent over, and Hirata climbed onto his shoulders. Me and Ayanokoji took the left and right flanks of the horse respectively, and with that the strongest horse of the Red Team was formed.

"I have something that I would like to convey before we head out," I said, and all 3 of them turned to look at me.

"It is very likely that we will be individually targeted."

"Individually targeted?" Sudo pondered. "Like everyone from Class B and C is gonna gang up on us?"

"Probably not Class B, but Class C will. I've had this on-and-off dispute going on with Ryuuen, and it is very possible that he will try to attack us first and bring down our horse. Each class has 4 horses, so it is possible that we should expect a 4 vs 1 fight."

"Wait, you're telling us that now?!" Sudo exclaimed. "I know we're all athletic and shit, but a 4 vs. 1 is impossible! Even I know my limits!"

"Exactly. And since we have a good idea of their strategy, we'll just use a mirror technique."

"A mirror technique?" Hirata thought aloud.

"It's just as it sounds," I explained. "A mirror technique is one of the more widely used strategies in team games such as these — you just need to copy what your opponent is doing. Your opponent obviously chooses a strategy where either they know what the drawbacks are, or they're confident that their strategy has no shortcomings. However, when we copy their strategy, they're forced to counter it with prior information that they had beforehand."

"So in a way, we're going to copy our opponent's strategy, and since they know the drawbacks of their own strategy, they'll use it to try and bring us down?" Hirata asked.

"Precisely. And once they do that, we'll know what the weakness in their strategy is. In case there is no weakness in their strategy, then it will hard for them to counter us as well. At most, it will lead to nullification and deadlock."

"That's actually a good plan," Sudo said. "So does that mean if those Class C bastards gang up on us, we're gonna gang up on them?"

"That's the idea. I'll relay it to every horse." Saying so, we called for a meeting with all Class A and D horses, and told them about the plan.

"So you're asking us to cover for you in case Ryuuen and his band of merry men decide to gang up on you?" Hashimoto summarized.

"That's it," I said. "We'll gang up on Ryuuen in that case. It's obvious that he will go for me if he uses a gang up tactic, because he seems to hate me the most out of all people."

After agreeing upon a basic outline of our plan, we headed out onto the field for the cavalry battle.

The rules were simple, and there was a time limit on the battle. By the end of the time, the points are calculated based on the number of headbands stolen from opposing teams, and the number of allies still standing on your horse. A headband from a horseman carries 50 Points, while that of the jockey carries a massive 100 Points.

In other words, a team of 4 is currently worth 250 Points. Managing to take down even 2 horses from the opposing Team would almost guarantee you 500 Points, plus the number of points you'll get from the number of allies that are still standing. This was a high-stakes game, where the sports festival could make a major turnaround with trading's of almost 1000 to 2000 Points.

Fweep!

The battle started, and Sudo immediately rushed onto the center of the battlefield. We'd decided from early on that we'd be going on the offense, so our aim was to gather as many headbands as we could.

Almost immediately, 3 horsemen, excluding Ryuuen cornered our horse. It looked like they were indeed following a gang-up strategy.

"Damn it!" Sudo shouted, and we tried to swerve out of the danger zone. But the 3 horses from Class C kept us packed in, and were restricting our movement severely.

Just then, a lone horse from Class D, consisting of Miyake as the jockey, and Miyamoto, Okitani and Ike, galloped forward and attacked one of the C-Class horsemen. The jockey, surprised by the sudden attack, pulled back and had to deal with the underlying threat.

It left my group with 2 horses, and taking into account Sudo's immense strength and reflexes, and Hirata's agility, we were able to outmaneuver the 2 other horsemen, and we left them behind in the dust.

"Haha, suck it!" Sudo screamed in ecstasy, and we made a mad dash forward for the head of all affairs — Ryuuen Kakeru.

"Haw, so those little pests could not stop you, eh?" Ryuuen undermined his own classmates. "You're coming after the final boss without even being able to beat his underlings? How pitiful. You must be well aware how underprepared you are."

Of course, such plain taunts were not enough to rile up Hirata, Ayanokoji or I, but Sudo, being the hothead of the grade, took Ryuuen's words at face value.

"Huh, what did you say!? You're getting it now!" Sudo channeled all his anger as fuel for winning, and he proceeded to dash forward.

"Wait, Sudo, stop!" I shouted, and Sudo somehow managed to heed to my advice.

"What the hell, Takeyama!" he bellowed. "He's right there! We need to attack him and show him who's the better one!"

"He's obviously trying to get under your skin, Sudo," I said impatiently. "You need to remember that we shouldn't go ahead alone! If Yosuke falls down, it's all over!"

Sudo seemed to understand my reasoning, and he clicked his tongue in frustration. Ryuuen, who had been watching our little squabble, playfully taunted us.

"Hmm, so you guys are scared? What a pathetic bunch."

"That's it, you're so dead!" Sudo screamed, and without any hint of remorse or logic, he launched himself forward towards Ryuuen. Ayanokoji and I could not allow Hirata to fall, so we had to move forward along with Sudo.

"Hirata, snatch his band as soon as we get close enough!" he shouted. "Don't worry about movement, we'll handle it! Just make sure that you don't fall and your band stays safe!"

"Yeah, I'm working on it, Sudo-kun," Hirata reassured the redhead, and he struck out his hand to reach for Ryuuen's headband. Ryuuen skillfully avoided the attack, and he proceeded to stretch out his own hand. Hirata moved back, and even Sudo moved back at the intense pressure that Ryuuen was creating.

His horsemen were Albert, Ishizaki and another student who I was not aware of. Albert's power was no joke; I'd give him a solid 9/10. Ishizaki and the other student looked like 7/10 and 8/10 respectively. Ryuuen had chosen the strongest 3 from his class to be his horsemen.

There was only 5 more minutes left, and it was suspicious that no one from Class A and D had arrived to help us and gang up on Ryuuen, as the plan suggested. Were they stalling because my horse was currently not being teamed up on? I diverted my attention a bit and quickly scanned my surroundings.

Class D's Miyake-jockey group had fallen, being ambushed by 3 Class C horses. The Class A horses weren't holding up too well either. Were they holding back their power? Class A definitely had the upper hand when it came to their physical prowess against Class B, but they'd already lost one horse.

Soon, Class D lost their 3rd and 4th horse in succession, and we were the only Class D horse left standing in the field. There was only one other Class A horse from the Red Team. The White Team on the other hand, had lost only 3 horses, 2 from Class C and 1 from Class B. We were severely disadvantaged. One could say that the match was already decided.

In which case, we must salvage how many ever points we could.

"!?"

Hirata pounced on Ryuuen's headband for the 3rd time now, and even though his hand grabbed the white colored bandanna, his fingers slipped through the piece of cloth like butter.

"What the hell, Hirata!?" Sudo said. "Get the headband!"

"I-I'm trying! I'm sorry, my hands are a bit slippery!" Hirata said, as he wiped his palms on his shirt.

"Oi Ryuuen, you gelled your headband, did you not?" I asked sharply.

Ryuuen immediately flashed a toothy smile. "Gelled my headband? I only gelled my hair. I don't even know what you're talking about."

"Stop acting!" Sudo bellowed. "You guys are plain cheating! You're not allowed to make your headbands slippery using any substance!"

"Calm down, Sudo," I said. "We cannot do anything about it. Even if we complain that Class C used foul play, he'll just play it down by saying that he was not aware that the gel had got onto the headband as well. It's wasted effort."

"So we're just supposed to suck it up!?"

I stayed silent. I looked at Hirata, and he immediately understood my intentions.

"Sudo-kun, we'll go ahead one last time," Hirata said, and he readied himself. Ryuuen also readied himself for another joust. There was only about a minute left now, and Class A's last horse had also fallen without stealing any bands. We were the last ones standing.

"Alright, move forward!" I commanded, and we mustered all our strength into the last tussle. Hirata stretched out his arm towards Ryuuen's forehead, and Ryuuen did the same.

And then I pushed Hirata forward again.

"!?"

The distance between Hirata and Ryuuen closed in an instant, and I was pretty much shouldering the entirety of Hirata's weight. It was against the rules for the jockey to lose contact with any of the horsemen, but the rules did not specify how much of the weight needs to be distributed among each horseman.

Which meant that as long as Sudo and Ayanokoji maintained even a finger contact with Hirata, without supporting any of his weight, it was not foul play.

Shouldering all of Hirata's weight on my left arm, I was standing neck to neck with Ishizaki, and easily grabbed his headband. Luckily, my hands did not slip, and I managed to pocket the headband. Hirata, on the other hand, was only an inch away from Ryuuen's face, and he snatched out his hand and grabbed the band from Ryuuen's head.

Due to their close proximity, Hirata had a firm grip on the band, and he yanked it out of Ryuuen's head.

Ryuuen, however, snatched out Hirata's headband in the process, and both horses now tumbled onto the ground. It was a suicide mission, and we managed to secure 150 Points from Ryuuen's team, but they compensated it with only 100 Points.

We had won in a game of pride, but we had lost the cavalry fight, as the Red Team.

I slowly picked myself up from the ground. An aching pain travelled from my left neck to my elbow. I hadn't ever carried a properly grown man on one hand before, in the flex position, and my entire shoulder felt like it was going to break off.

I fell back to the ground, panting, and I closed my eyes to relieve the pain a bit.

Hirata and Ayanokoji scrambled up and ran over to me.

"Keisuke, are you alright? Can you stand?" Hirata fired questions in my direction. The pain was definitely immense, but not something that I was not used to.

But it was definitely numbing. It hurt a lot to move my hand.

"I'm fine..." I mumbled. "My left hand hurts though."

"We'll help you up," Ayanokoji said, and the 2 of them slowly lifted me up. I winced and let out an involuntary gasp when Hirata moved my hand.

"It could be serious," he said gravely. "We'll take you to the infirmary."

Saying so, the 3 of us walked back to tent, with Sudo in tow, concernedly looking at me.

A/N's:

And that's it for this chapter! Student Council work is finally coming to a close, so now I've got a little more time in my hands. Which means I'll start updating daily once again! Yay! A big shoutout to all my readers who've continued to read and support this fic! I hope it'll stay the same.

Thank you for reading, and please vote for the chapter! Cheers.

SS.3 - An Aura of Mystery (Ryuji Kanzaki)

I've been a top honor student in my life for as long as I can remember.

I was well liked by my teachers and peers, and I was supposedly the face of our class. The person who was responsible for leading our school to greatness.

As a result, I've had several run-ins with people of different skill sets and caliber. I've grown to understand how people think, and how they react to different situations.

It gives you an idea of what a person's true nature is. Their actions. Their decisions. Their words. All these subtle hints involuntarily, slowly, surely, peel off the cover from a person's personality, and lays it bare to the naked eye.

I've come to understand how you can speed up this process of peeling the layer off, and exposing a person's true intentions. It's a skill that I would say, have picked up over the course of my several meetings and agendas.

No one is free from this skill. Every person has certain 'reflexive' actions built into them, and you cannot train these actions, nor can you modify them. They're a part of the human psyche, and it always erupts from the surface at the ugliest moment.

But not all people were hiding something. I could safely say that Ichinose Honami of my class, was one of the nicest people I have ever met. My interactions with her have slowly uncovered her true personality, and laid it bare in front of me to analyze.

But it is no different from her usual demeanor. Ichinose's true feelings are echoed in her expressions. She was what they called, true goodness.

These were the rather unorganized thoughts that roamed by head as I absentmindedly stared at Takeyama, who was being supported by Ayanokoji and Hirata to the AD coalition camp. He had pulled off a dangerous move against Ryuuen, and had ultimately managed to secure more points than him in the heated one-on-one battle. Won the battle, but lost the war. This quote would be apt to describe Takeyama's current situation.

I was inclined to go and help him, but being a horse myself, supporting Shibata, and being from the opposite Team prevented me from making any careless moves. It would be seen as good sportsmanship by my classmates, but it would probably be used against me by Class A and C. They were very much capable of doing that.

Takeyama had asked me to serve as a witness to an almost-scandal that could have put the White Team in great danger. Kinoshita-san from Class C, really was completely uninjured when I had moved over to her room. Ryuuen was there as well, but he did not care for my presence, and simply stared at me when I had entered the room. Of course, he had no authority to kick me out. After all, I was a part of the White Team.

I've had several chances to talk with Takeyama in the past few months, most notably during and after the Deserted Island Exam. His first impression was that of a painfully honest, bordering into the territory of downright rude, cunning person. His first visit of the Class B camp was not very pretty, and there was a bit of heated talks between him and I. But things were slowly ironed out during their next visit.

His second visit to me consisted of him showing me his Keycard from his pocket. I couldn't be sure if that was intentional or not, because he was completely oblivious, and maintained an unreadable expression on his face.

Was he trying to test Class B's sincerity in the alliance? I knew better than to guess Class D's Leader, even though I had definitely caught the letters 'Y' and 'M' written on the keycard. I could immediately eliminate Horikita Suzune and Hirata Yosuke using the current information. Takeyama consisted of a 'Y' and an 'M', and the card was in his pocket. It was almost definite proof that he had shown me his keycard. However, staying true to our alliance, and loyal to Ichinose, I decided that it's best not to guess Class D's leader.

Over time, I've come to respect Keisuke Takeyama, not only as an able commander of his class, but also as a person.

I'm probably the only person right now, other than Ryuuen, who is aware of Takeyama's destructive abilities and shrewd, cunning intellect.

My analysis of him consisted of only one aspect — Takeyama knows more than he lets on, and his antics tread the fine line between good and bad.

He was neither passive nor aggressive.

Neither quiet nor loud.

Neither assertive nor relaxed.

Actions that were seemingly easy to read, but actually incredibly difficult to discern.

He didn't have a twisted personality, but he didn't have a righteous personality either.

To me, his existence was shrouded in doubt, an enigmatic creature. For now, I'd keep a close eye on him. Whether he is an ally to Class B or not, only time will tell.

And I sincerely hope that Class B does not make an enemy out of Takeyama.

A/N's:

Kanzaki is the best Class B character, hands down. Too bad he's stuck in a class full of wimps.

His arc in the Y2V5 novel is really good. I'm obviously not gonna get into the details here (cuz spoiler lmao). I wanna give him more importance, because he deserves it. Fanfiction is all about giving importance to characters who usually don't get much screen time in the canon series, so I'll be focusing on these background characters a lot more than usual.

Anyways, thank you for reading! Please vote for the chapter, it really motivates me to continue pumping out chapters! Cheers.

Chapter 35.5 - Gossip (?) [Bonus]

"Keisuke!!" Chiaki fluttered up to me, along with pretty much the rest of the class, when they noticed me coming back, clutching my left arm in pain. "Are you okay? We saw it happen from here; are you sure you're fine?"

"I'm fine, Chiaki," I said, and I plopped down on the chair, and started rummaging through the first-aid kit. "Probably just pulled a muscle, it's nothing serious."

"No, it is!" she pouted. She looks so adorable when she pouts. "Your presence is necessary for us to win! You carried Hirata-kun on one hand for almost 10 seconds! You're insane!"

After berating me for a while, she snatched the first-aid kit from my hand and started going through it herself. "Here, show me your hand."

With that, she started wrapping a bandage around my hand.

"Wait, it's not broken," I said. "You're worrying too much. It'll be fine if I let it be."

"Stop trying to act all tough and just give me your hand."

I reluctantly agreed. I wasn't going to argue with Chiaki. I had no chance of winning.

"I noticed something odd going on in the field," Chiaki murmured to me in a low voice. "I noticed Hirata-kun grabbing the headband many times, but he was unable to pull it off. Only when he was literally in front of Ryuuen during the last seconds of the game, did he manage to yank off the band."

"I have a feeling Ryuuen had oiled his headband. Of course, I cannot report it to the school," I added, when Chiaki looked at me like she was to burst. "He'll play it down by saying that he had oiled his hair, and that it had probably got onto the headband. Everything was planned out."

"So you're not going to do anything ABOUT it?" she said, as she forcefully tied the bandage harder. I winced.

"Ouch. Go easy on me. I'm a frail man."

"Oh yeah?"

"Ouch!"

"Oh no, did I hurt you? I'm so SORRY!" She yanked on the bandage again.

"Oh god, stop!" I said, as I freed myself from the grip of the scary woman. "You'll screw it up even more than it is now!" Chiaki looked at me with a smug expression, and resumed to stare back at the competition.

"Takeyama-kun." Horikita approached me from the sidelines, and I could see Chiaki eyeing Horikita warily, like some sort of feral cat.

She walked up to me, stood by my side, and then in the next instant, punched me on the bandage. I grimaced my face, but the pain was probably evident from my expression.

"Hey, Horikita-san!" Chiaki immediately came to my rescue. "Why are you hitting him?! I didn't hit him that hard!"

"It's payback for stepping on my foot when I came back from the race," Horikita said indifferently. "Will you able to continue to take part?"

"Now that you've assaulted me, probably no."

"... sorry. That must have hurt." Horikita apologized to me. A trace of a smile formed on my face. Horikita really was beginning to understand the value of human relations.

"You're such a tsundere."

"That is quite the repulsive piece of vocabulary," she snapped back. "Maybe I should have hit you harder."

"That's exactly what a tsundere would say."

"... forget it." And the black haired beauty disappeared from my sight. She readied herself for the girl's cavalry battle.

"Horikita, they'll target you."

She stopped in her tracks and turned around to look at me. "What do you mean?"

"Ryuuen has ordered Class C to gang up on the main leaders of Class D. In other words, you, when it comes to the girls. Try to play offensive. There's no point in playing back. Attack as much as possible, get as many points as possible, and fall."

Horikita pondered over my thoughts a bit, and then gave me a crisp nod. She headed out into the field.

"Ne ne, Kei-chan?" Chiaki playfully nicknamed me. "Something goin' on between the 2 of you? You're the only one Horikita-san even talks to in the class, other than Ayanokoji-kun. And that last walk you went on with her during the practice sessions? For reconnaissance or whatever? Every single girl in our class lost their shit."

"Really? But there's nothing going on between us," I replied.

"You always keep up that act. You know that you're really popular among the girls in our year, right? Your rank on the ikemen chart jumped up after that really cool pose you pulled off at the Gymnasium, against Class A," said Chiaki. "You're like, 2nd or 3rd now."

"Wait, so these lists update real-time?"

"Uh-huh! You completely underestimate the underground network of the girls in the grade, Kei-chan. I'll give you a heads-up — someone's gonna confess to you after the Festival."

Wait, confess to me?

My first high-school confession.

I hope it's a pretty girl... no wait, a second year maybe?... wait, do the senior chicks really dig me?... a first year?...

"Earth to Kei-chan," Chiaki tapped my head. "What, you're thinking about the confession?"

"Who is it?"

"Haw, you think I'm gonna tell you that? You're not even supposed to know about this, but I've made an exception for you. So, is it a yes or a no?"

"Wait, how can I say that without even meeting the girl?"

"Hmm? So you have absolutely no idea who it is?" she looked at me with suspicious eyes.

"I have no clue. At least give me the class she is from."

"I have no idea."

"...?"

Chiaki sighed. "That's not how it works with the girls. We've got a huge group chat literally dedicated to the ikemen chart. It has pretty much all the girls in our grade. And we're all anonymous."

"Anonymous? Why?"

"Tch. You're actually pretty dumb when it comes to romance and girly stuff, aren't you? Girls are not allowed to know who is confessing to who on a group chat, or who voted for whom. Things get ugly really fast among us females, you see."

"So someone just wrote on the group chat, ' I'll be confessing to Takeyama-kun after the festival'?" I tried to confirm.

"Yup! That's basically it. And then everyone in the group went nuts after she sent that message, and now the whole group is talking about how they'll be confessing to you back-to-back."

"You're kidding me," I stretched back on my chair. "I'm not ready for that kind of stuff."

"Has anyone ever confessed to you before?" she asked me. "Have you ever had a girlfriend in middle school?"

"I've had several confessions before," I said truthfully. "But no, I've never been in a relationship."

"Wait, you rejected all of them!?" Chiaki exclaimed from her seat.

"Yeah. I didn't even know who they were. And from the ones I did know, I didn't really gel well along with them. I wasn't really a social person back in middle school."

"Aww. Hey, Kei-chan," Chiaki moved closer to me, until our bodies were almost touching. "If there was one person in the entire school who you would date, who would that person be?"

"That's such a lame question."

"Come on! Answer it for me!" she wailed. "I wanna know!"

"I don't even know that many people. It's hard to just pick out someone."

"You're such a spoilsport! Mean~~"

"Oh yeah? Then how about you tell me who you voted for in the ikemen chart? Or who would you like to go out with in the school?"

There was a sudden sound of a mechanical breakdown — screws unscrewing themselves, gears falling apart. Chiaki's face was completely red, and her brain (?) wasn't functioning (?). Did I ask a bad question?

"Y-you're not supposed to a-ask such questions t-to girls!" she came up with a lame excuse, trying to cover for a reason I was yet to comprehend.

"So girls can ask guys unsettling questions, but guys can't ask the girls? Damn, that's plain discrimination."

"It's just h-how it is," Chiaki straightened her back in anticipation of our conversation. "So, who is it? I'm really curious, you know?"

. . . . . . . . . .

"You."

"!?"

If there is a color that is darker than red, and can appear on a person's face, then that was the color on Chiaki's face right now. She stared at me with wide eyes, and she started... drooling?

"Chiaki... ?"

"Yeah, YEAH!" she suddenly snapped out of her trance, and wiped her mouth on her handkerchief. "That... was u-unexpected."

"Was it so unexpected?" I replied exasperatedly. "I would choose you over any other girl, any day."

(The Sports Festival; Matsushita, Chiaki POV):

STOPPPPPPP!

MY HEART IS GOING DOKI-DOKI!!!!!!!

No, Chiaki, calm down. Calm down! He would obviously choose you over any other girl. It's because I'm his best friend! It's not like I'm happy that he chose me over anyone else in this school or that I was secretly hoping that he would tell my name and then confess to me in the middle of the festival or kiss me or anything...

AHHHHHHH! This wasn't fair! This is not fair at all!

How can he say such embarrassing things with such a straight face? If he was any other person I would have definitely taken that as a confession! No, anyone else in my position would have taken that as a confession!

But he's not interested in girls, right? He's made it very clear... he doesn't show any sort of closeness with any girl, and he doesn't even care about it in the slightest. I obviously cannot tell him that I voted for him in the ikemen chart!

And now that I think about it, someone is going to confess to Kei-chan after the festival...

. . . . . . . . . .

What should I do?

What if he says yes to her?

He won't, right?

He's not the type to say yes to anyone. He's already told me that he's never had a girlfriend, and that he would date me out of all the girls in this school...

Date me out of all the girls in the school...

Date me out of all the girls...

Date me...

Date... me...

Chiaki.exe has stopped responding*

A/N's:

This chapter was hella fun to write.
Thank you for reading, and cheers. Please vote for the chapter!

Chapter 36 - Classroom of the Elite

I got up from my seat, and jogged up to Sudo, who was currently being a tad bit unapproachable due to our loss against the White Team, more specifically, Ryuuen. His dirty tactics certainly irked everyone in the cavalry battle — including Hirata, even though he might not express it. It was evident that he was perturbed and now cautious of Class C's dangerous yet effective strategy.

"Sudo, you alright?"

"HUH!? Oh, it's you," he snorted. "Of course I'm not alright! It's this damn Class C! They're playing us like fools; they're clearly using foul play! I'm gonna kill each and every last one of them after this Festival!"

Of course, Sudo would be pissed at the turn of events. He was stamped over by Class C, and the rope in tug-of-war was released by Class C. These were blatant violations of the code of conduct, but since we did not have any proof of these incidents, we could no report them. I had managed to stop another incident that probably would have taken place, when Kinoshita faked her injury. It could have been a detrimental hit to our side if Horikita was somehow ejected from the fray.

"Sudo, you know there is no point in doing that," I said calmly. "You cannot prove their foul play. Without evidence, it is very well considered as null and void."

"Shut up, you and your pathetic logic!" Sudo screamed at me. He really was losing it. Hirata had jumped in between us as well, and the entire class worriedly watched the rising tension within the 3 of us.

"Sudo-kun, what Keisuke is saying is correct," Hirata tried to reason. He would have a better chance at negotiating with a rock. "We cannot prove our innocence. We must focus on what's ahead of us."

"Obey me, Hirata, Takeyama. I'm the leader of this Sports Festival. Let's gang up on Ryuuen together."

"I'm not denying that you're the leader. Considering this is a sports festival, you're definitely the leader. But I want you to look around now. Just how many people acknowledge you as a leader?" I replied harshly.

Sudo looks around.

Starting with Ike and the others, most of them kept their distance from the irritated Sudo.

"I'm desperately trying for the sake of the class..." Sudo managed to squeeze out angry words, but several voices were raised in the class, except for Hirata and I.

"Is that really so? Rather than wanting the class to win, isn't it just that you want to show off? Isn't it just that you want to show us just how amazing you are? At the very least, I think so. You're just being swept along by your emotions, and you decide usefulness and uselessness based on that. You get angry. If the class can win with just that alone we would not be having so much trouble. If you're going to throw your weight as the leader around, you need to make rational decisions and give accurate advice."

It was Yukimura who gave Sudo this long speech. Despite suffering from his own results in the sports festival, he's earnestly putting in effort. Sudo seemed to be going out of control.

"Shut up..."

"I feel the same way, Sudo-kun. It's specifically because we're relying on you, that we want you to see the bigger picture. And I want you to respond to the feelings of your comrades."

"Shut up..."

"You should be able to do that, Sudo-kun. That's why -"

"I asked you to shut the hell up!"

I could see everything play out in front of my eyes — Sudo's dominant arm flew forward towards Hirata's unguarded face. I instinctively lashed out my uninjured right arm in front to protect him from the impact.

There was a dull thud as the punch made contact with my wrist, and a soft crack. I reflexively pulled Hirata out of the situation, who was still dazed at the sudden commotion. Sudo's antics had caught the attention of the teachers standing by the stands, as well as Class A, who were watching the scene unfold with wide eyes.

Chabashira-sensei made her way to our camp.

"What's going on?"

Chabashira-sensei, who is responsible for watching over our class, glanced at my right wrist, which did not show any visible external injury. However, it seems Chabashira-sensei had grasped the situation from the scene, and she turned to face Sudo.

"Did you hit anyone?"

"... and what will you do if I did?" Sudo growled. Hirata corrected sensei before I could.

"That's not it sensei. Keisuke just fell down."

"It didn't look like that from the stand. I'm positive that someone here started a brawl."

"Sensei, if I say that there is no problem, then there shouldn't be any need to drag this out any further, right?" I said.

"Certainly, you're right. If the victim is saying that nothing's wrong with them, there's no problem. However, objectively looking at it, there's the possibility that some kind of trouble is brewing between you guys. For now, keep your distance from one another. Then I'll be filing a report to my superiors. As a preventive measure."

"There is no trouble here and I don't want to cause any misunderstandings. I understand, sensei." Hirata calmly avoided the situation, and Chabashira-sensei returned to the stands.

On the other hand, Sudo was no longer able to suppress his rage and kicked a pipe chair near him with all his strength. Under Chabashira-sensei's watchful eye, beating up Class C is impossible to pull off.

"Do whatever you want. Go ahead and lose, you small fries. This sports festival can eat shit."

For a moment, Sudo looked at Horikita, who had been watching the whole scene but he averted his eyes. Sudo left and started walking back towards the dormitory.

An awkward silence lulled over the group. Hirata broke the silence first.

"Keisuke, thank you."

I looked up at the man, who was smiling at me and genuinely grateful for saving him from a nasty uppercut.

"I just did what I could. There's no need to thank me. But I'm afraid that holding a baton seems to hurt my wrist a lot," I said, as I turned my right wrist over. Taking part in a relay would definitely become a lot harder now, since both my arms are a bit awry. I felt a bit like Orochimaru from the series 'Naruto', after his fight with the Third Hokage.

"Takeyama, are you alright?" Horikita approached me from the side. From her tone of voice, I could easily figure out that she was extremely pissed off at Sudo at the moment. That man's hopes and dreams of getting his girl was down in the drain.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," I waved her off. "Looks like I'm becoming more useless as the time passes in this sports festival."

"Even though I would love to say it is true, my morals inhibit me from speaking," Horikita sighed. "You won't be able to take part in the omni-directional tug-of-war, nor in the three-legged race in the Recommended Competitions. You were the one to run alongside Sudo, but now he's gone, and you're injured."

"My hands are injured, not my legs," I said. "I can still run."

"It's dangerous," Hirata cut in. "I cannot allow you to participate in an event which threatens your well-being. I was the one who was supposed to receive the punch from Sudo, but you intercepted it. Let me do this much for you, Keisuke."

"It's going to cost the class Private Points, right? To bring in a substitute?" I asked.

"100,000 Private Points per substitute," Horikita elaborated. "But since we'll be dividing it equally among 40 students, it's actually very affordable. It boils down to exactly 2,500 Points per person."

"We'll be needing it for 2," Hirata said. "One for Sudo-kun, and one for Keisuke. Who's going to go in their positions, though?"

"It's got to be you, Yosuke," I said. "We'll choose the fastest runners. I think it should be you and Ayanokoji. You both have already taken part in the three-legged race before, so you guys have good coordination."

"That seems to be the only plausible choice," Horikita echoed my thoughts. "But that's only for the three-legged race. Takeyama was a part of 3 Recommended Events. There's still the omni-directional tug-of-war and the 1200m final relay."

Tug-of-war, eh?

Without me and Sudo, the class was probably going to perish. However, this was not simple tug-of-war. It was omnidirectional tug-of-war — which meant that 4 classes would be pulling it in 4 different directions. More than strength, strategy was also an important factor contributing to the result of this event.

As for the 1200m relay, I could technically still take part in it, but if the class is adamantly against it, I might be forced to sit out. But without Sudo and I, the 3 boys would probably be Hirata, Ayanokoji and Miyake.

If that was the case, then Class 1-D has severely run out of powerhouses. Unless Ayanokoji runs at full speed, I cannot be sure whether we would be able to beat the other classes. Moreover, we'd be competing against 11 other classes — the 1200m Relay was the only event in which Class of different years were pitted against each other. In other words, the competition was extremely strong.

"I can still take part in the relay," I affirmed. "The tug-of-war would become slightly hard to be a part of, though. I could participate with one hand, but that would just be a waste of valuable manpower. I'll just end up using a spot without actually contributing. Miyake and Okitani could come in instead."

"It's up to you," Horikita sighed. "I cannot possibly change your decision, and I would be much happier if you were to actually take part. Our chances of winning would exponentially increase. But again, it's your call."

With that, the Recommended Competitions started.

*

"Rock, paper, scissor, shoot!"

. . . . . . . . . .
.

"You're kidding me."

"You won, Kiyotaka. You're the one who's gonna take part."

"But I've never played Scavenger Hunt before."

I sighed. Was this guy actually a shut-in before he joined ANHS? How could he not have played, or even heard, of Scavenger Hunt?

"It's simple. You'll pick out a chit from the box, and you'll just need to find whatever's written on the chit and bring it back to the referee," I said. "That's it. It could literally range from a handkerchief to the First Lady of the United States."

"... you just made me lose all the interest I had for the race with that explanation," Ayanokoji sighed.

"Stop being such a retard and just go," I said scathingly, and I pushed him out into the field. He reluctantly made his to the center of the field, where the current round of Scavenger Hunt was going on.

Suddenly, I could see Ike run back to the camp. Did he have something to find here?

"Takeyama!" Ike screamed. "Give me your left shoe, fast!"

"I need to the run the relay. Take someone else's."

Ike immediately panicked and ran towards the girls, using this as a perverted opportunity to grab their shoes.

He was, however, shooed away.

I pressed F to pay respect.

"Okay, round 3 is about to begin."

Ayanokoji and 3 other students from the first year classes made their way to the center, and they each pulled out a chit. The other 3 ran out, probably to search for their item, but Ayanokoji continued to stare at his chit, and he gave it back to the referee, and asked for a new one.

Asking for a new item in Scavenger Hunt costed the participant 45 seconds. After the designated wait time, he picked out another chit from the box.

He opened it.

And almost immediately returned it and asked for another replacement.

"What is he doing?" Horikita was sitting beside me, and she was annoyed at Ayanokoji for changing his chit that many times.

"He probably got weird chits."

"But he's wasting precious time. He could just go ahead and do one of the chits, even if it takes too much time. What if his next item is even harder than the rest?"

"You need to stay optimistic, Horikita. If there is a possibility that his next chit is going to a fighter jet, then there is an equal possibility of it being Ayanokoji himself."

"... your reasoning is absolutely crap."

"You don't have to be that mean. I'm just stating the facts."

"That is exactly what's crap," Horikita sassed.

As we continued to watch over the Scavenger Hunt, Horikita continued to stare at me suspiciously. I didn't mind it at first, but after a while, it started to get on my nerves.

"What?" I asked exasperatedly.

"You used foul play."

My words were stuck in my throat. I had not discounted the possibility that someone from the stands might have seen me, but the chances of being seen in that crowd was very low. I made sure that my strikes were surreptitious even to the ones in Class C and D who were around me during the capture-the-flag. Unless she had been paying close attention to me right from the beginning, she couldn't have possibly witnessed me.

But then had anyone else noticed me use foul play during the game? There was a chance that Ayanokoji had seen me, but is keeping quiet about it; Hirata had definitely not seen it, since he would have gone batshit crazy if he learned that Class D's Leader resorted to violence. There was the possibility that Yukimura had seen it though, when I grappled Ishizaki...

I did not see why I should lie to Horikita. In the Sports Festival, being what it is, if you really need a surefire strategy to win, there is no other option but to depend on your individual physical strength. It's an extremely one-dimensional competition, where strategies do not work, unless they are outside the rules.

One thing that I have noticed in this school is that it is absolutely fine to break the rules, as long as you're not found out.

That's how the world works as well. When you're thrown into the metropolitan fray, people will turn their backs on you, and do what they deem will be beneficial to them. As a result, cut-throat competition exists, and only those who know there way around the rules, win.

"... Takeyama?"

"...? Sorry, I zoned out. You were saying?"

"You punched Yamada-kun from Class C during the capture-the-flag event, right? He's a large man, so he rather stands out. I happened to notice it, but it seems no one else in our class is aware," she spoke. "Why did you stoop so low? I thought you were better than those Class C misfits."

"You know he was going around and punching all our classmates, right? I did what I deemed right. I'm not liable to give you an explanation."

"You are. You'll tell me why you punched him. You're no different from Ryuuen-kun if you do not own up to your mistake."

"Mistake? You're telling me what I did was wrong?"

"Yes, it was wrong. You know it very well."

"Then may I ask what your strategy would have been to win?" I asked.

"You should have held on to the pole," she said scathingly. "I wasn't a part of the game, so you can call me a neutral observer from the sidelines. It was evident that you should have just ignored them and pushed on the pole."

"Unfortunately, that was the plan. You don't seem to understand we were being assaulted. It's hard enough to fight them, and your plan is to just deal with it, take damage, and hold up the pole?"

"It would have been painful, but it would have guaranteed us the victory. I just cannot fathom that Class D is being led by someone who believes that violence is the answer."

"You're free to think what you want," I sighed. "I'm not the type to resort to violence. But I am not afraid to use it, if it means that we will win."

"It seems I was wrong to trust you," Horikita said. "Your ideals disgust me."

"Can I ask you a question, Horikita?"

"Keep it brief."

"If you had a choice to leave behind all your classmates, and graduate from Class A, and another to stay in Class D with your 'allies', and climb up to Class A together, which option would you choose?"

"... are you trying to test me?"

"Bluntly put, yes. I'm simply testing you. From your perspective, I can assume that you would choose the second option?"

"..."

"Hmm? I'm going to take your silence as a yes."

"The two situations are different. You're trying to compare apples to oranges."

"Not at all. These two situations are much more similar than you think," I said. "If you had asked me the same question, I would have chosen the first option without any delay. You would have chosen the first option as well."

"N-no, that's n-not it..." Horikita tried to fight back with her hypocritic stance.

"Do not lie to yourself, Horikita." I stood up from my seat, and brought myself up to full height. "You would have chosen to abandon all your allies, and take the route best suited for you. And I approve of that option. It is the only correct way to move around in this world."

"B-but, nii-san, he said I needed friends... you said I needed friends... you became my f-first friend... are you telling me that you'll abandon me if you think it is more beneficial to you?" Horikita was visibly staring at me, and her usual cold attitude was gone. She was weak, like a timid rabbit under the eyes of a wolf.

I brought myself down to her level, and I stared into her beautiful eyes.

A cold unblocked vision, and she trembled under my gaze.

"Right now, there is no such option available to me. I weigh all my options with logic only. Currently, nothing outweighs my desire to protect and be by my friends."

Horikita's breathing slowed down. "Then what do you mean? Whose side are you on?"

"I said that currently, there is nothing more important to me than protecting my friends. That includes you, Horikita. But in the astronomically rare event that I am given a chance to advance to Class A, I will not hesitate to leave you all behind."

"W-what are y-you..."

"What am I? I'm just a normal person who makes normal decisions, just like you, Horikita. I want you to admit that you would have taken the same road."

I slowly brought out my arm, and held her trembling palm in my hands. "Never lie to yourself, Horikita. The world is dangerous. It is cruel. But it is never unfair. I will consider you as a successful person if you leave everyone behind and take the path that would guarantee your victory. Even if you leave me behind, I will continue to support you from behind, because I know that you have taken the right decision."

Horikita stared at me, unable to comprehend my sudden 180 in behavior. "Then are you saying that as long as you win in the end, the methods you use do not matter to you?"

"Not exactly. Like I've said, I refrain from using violence as much as possible. But I'm not scared to use it if I'm in a pinch." I looked at her one last time, and I let out a loud sigh. "Calm down, Horikita. If you ask that question to anyone except Hirata and Class B, they'd all choose the First Option."

That was all. Horikita was finally beginning to see the true nature of the Advanced Nurturing High School. In this institution, your allies are all superficial. Your only true ally is yourself.

Friendships across classes is extremely hard to establish due to the same reason. It's not that I don't want to make friends in other classes. My duty and goals prohibit me from deepening bonds. As long as you're in a certain Class, your classmates are the only ones you can trust. However, in the scenario that there is a method to transfer from one Class to another, then even this concept becomes meaningless.

Everything and anything in this school is purchasable via Private Points.

As long as I have enough Private Points, I can bend through the rules of the school, and take the decision that will help me the most.

This school prepares you for the modern world. It teaches you the true value of money, and how powerful a tool it is. All of this may sound avaricious, but this is the real face of the world.

The world is controlled with money. People with money have power, and those with power have money. A greedy, vicious cycle which ultimately benefits only those who have cash.

This was the harsh truth that I have learnt in my experience and contact with the outside world.

I turned to look at Horikita, who had now calmed down, and was currently deep in thought.

"Horikita?"

"I'm sorry." Horikita has been saying sorry very often these days. Did she hit her head somewhere?

"...?"

"I judged you without thinking straight. Now that you say it, I would have definitely chosen the first option. It's not a matter about whether I trust my allies or not. Even if I did trust them, wholeheartedly, it wouldn't deter me from my main ambition of reaching Class A."

"Exactly. I trust you, Horikita. You're one of the few people in this entire school that I trust. As long as we are in the same class, we're working together towards the sole goal of reaching Class A. However, if there ever comes a time when the class is pitted against one another, and we're forced to make a harsh decision, you must take the decision that is the most logical. You must never bring your emotions into play."

"I understand. But do you think there ever will be such an exam?" Horikita asked me. "Up until now, we've only been tested against other classes. Will there be a time when we must fight within our own class?"

I stared back the field. Ayanokoji had mysteriously come last in the Scavenger Race, probably because he got extremely weird chits.

"I can already see signs of that happening," I said. "Take this Sports Festival for example. We're working together with Class A. They are an enemy to every single class, because they are at the top. Class B and C are working together. Doesn't this give you a small clue that in this school, certain events where you must cooperate between classes exist?"

"That is cooperation between classes. I'm talking about discord within classes. I'm speaking about a hypothetical scenario where, say, we're supposed to strip someone in the class of all their Private Points, in exchange for Class Points. Wouldn't that be a major cause of mayhem?"

"Yes, and what do you think you should do in that situation?"

"I... will choose the person who currently has the least Private Points in their possession to minimize losses to the class," Horikita replied.

"That was a fairly easy choice. Now let me add another condition to this hypothetical exam we just came up with. The rule is — the number of Private Points that belong to the said person will be distributed to each member of the class."

Horikita narrowed her eyes, and fell into thought. "So you're saying...?"

"It gives everyone in the class an incentive to vote for the person who has the maximum amount of Private Points. Suppose there is person X in the class who has only 1000 Private Points, and another person Y in the class with 1,000,000 Private Points. If you choose to vote X, then their losses are minimized, but everyone else in the class gains only 1000 Private Points. However, if you vote Y, they would lose all their points, but everyone gains 1,000,000 Private Points."

"Then isn't it obvious to choose person Y? In the end, there is a net gain for the class. 39 students will receive 1,000,000 Points, and one will lose 1,000,000 Points. We can always redistribute the Points among ourselves to this person Y. Then the exam is passed without any losses, and everyone ends up with a net gain."

"Again, a fairly easy choice. Here's another rule — redistribution of the acquired Private Points is not allowed."

"Redistribution... is not allowed?"

"What would you do in this case? Person Y now has nothing going in his favor. He cannot gain back his lost points via Point Transfer either. What will you do then?"

Horikita pursed her lips a bit, and replied. "I... would choose person X in that case."

"And that is where we differ, Horikita-san."

"...?"

"I would still vote for person Y."

"But will they like that? It's a class decision, is it not?" Horikita replied. "Why would you still vote for person Y?"

"It's because 1,000,000 Private Points is no joke. In a meritocratic school where Private Points can buy you anything, I would definitely choose the option that would help me in the long run. In a game, there is always a winner and a loser. Sometimes you're the winner, and sometimes you're the loser. And everyone always wants to win."

"But isn't that rule completely absurd? Point Transfer is one of the basic nuances of this school; getting rid of that will only make everything much more harder in the future," Horikita pointed out a valid loophole.

"I understand where you're coming from. The chances of this kind of Special Exam taking place is almost zero. It has too many loopholes. But you get the gist. There are several methods where we can be tested from within the class itself. In such a situation, we must protect ourselves, and strive to reach our goal."

Horikita sighed. "It seems I've learnt a lot about you today. The way you think, the way you act. I cannot say it is enviable, but your thinking is far too logical."

"Save it for later. We've got other stuff to do now. Can I ask you for a favor, Horikita?"

"What is it?"

"Can you go back to the dormitories and bring back Sudo? He's necessary for this event-"

"NO."

If Sudo were here, he would probably have withered and died on the spot at this blatant rejection.

"You're the only one he's going to listen to, you know?" I said, irritated. "He's not going to budge if anyone else from the class goes."

"And why is that so?" Wait, is Horikita like one of those dense harem protagonists who can't understand that they're being hit upon?

"Because... can you just go? Please bring him back. You're the only one who can."

"... fine. But I'm warning you that I'm not going to try too hard if he doesn't budge."

"Sure. But please try."

Ending our long conversation here, Horikita turned around and started jogging back to the dormitories.

One day, Horikita will understand that trying to drag your Class up along with you to Class A is futile. It may seem imperative now, but she will soon realize the system that lies underneath.

In this world, you need trust. But how you use the trust you gain is up to you.

One day, Horikita will realize.

That in this school, only the strong survive, and the weak are left behind.

That this is a school, where only the elite survive.

_

"What took so long?"

"I got extremely weird chits," Ayanokoji replied.

"It can't be that weird. What did you get?"

"'Bring along 10 friends'."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"And the second one?"

"'The person you love.'"

"Pfft~~"

"Shut up."

_

A/N's:

Lmao OC bullying Kiyo is kinda fun. We have little Suzune development in this chapter. I have everything in this volume planned out already. I'm kinda thinking about how I'll proceed in vol6. Paper Shuffle, I guess? I wanna come up with some big brain strategy, so I'll take some time off after vol5 finishes to catch up on my thoughts.

Thanks for reading, and cheers. Please vote for the chapter!

Chapter 37 - Final Leg

I watched the scene unfold in silence.

This was not my place to say anything.

This was Horikita's problem.

Ryuuen had specifically targeted Horikita, because she was the only leader in Class D who Ryuuen can currently take advantage of. He cannot throw me into any trouble; he knows it is unwise to do so.

However, I had not expected Chabashira-sensei to shoot down Kanzaki that easily. What was the deal with this teacher? All her actions pissed me off. She might be pretty and stuff, but her personality and cold attitude makes her quite unlikeable.

Ryuuen left the room along with Kinoshita, glancing once in my direction before leaving.

I inferred that my presence in the cubicle was currently not required, and I left, leaving Horikita, Kushida and Chabashira-sensei in the room to deal with the deafening silence.

"Keisuke," Hirata jogged up to me as I returned back to the grounds. The Recommended Only Participation Events had already started, and I was forced out of the omnidirectional tug-of-war due to my injury.

Currently, Sudo and I had missed out in the boys tug-of-war event, which costed the class 200,000 Points. Horikita's absence in the festival also had a similar impact on the girl's tug-of-war, and 100,000 more Points were shelled out. The next event, the three-legged race, would also be missed out by Horikita and Sudo. I had somehow managed to convince Hirata and Chiaki that I was alright, and that I would participate in the races.

Speaking of which, I had to find a new partner for the three-legged race.

I couldn't partner up with Ayanokoji or Hirata, since they were racing together. I turned my gaze back to the camp, and tried to search for someone who could possibly fill Sudo's position in the race alongside me.

*

"You sure you wanna race with me, Takeyama-kun?"

"Do you recommend someone else?" I deadpanned.

"Umm... now that you say it, no," Miyake said, and he bent down to tie the string between my left leg and his right. "We've not done this together before, so I guess it's okay to not take 1st place."

"Of course. We cannot take first place without practicing. Do you want me to keep counting numbers so that we can keep running in sync?" I asked.

"That'd actually be real helpful," said Miyake. "We're starting off in the 2nd lane. What a pain. We've got too much of turning to do now."

"Oh well. Nothing to do about it. We'll start off with the untied leg?" I suggested.

"Yeah, that makes sense."

As usual, I was pitted alongside Ryuuen and a student from Class C called Hiroya Tokito. If my information sources are correct (source : Chiaki), Tokito-kun was someone who was adamantly against Ryuuen's dictatorship regime. He paired up along with Ryuuen himself? What a shame. Well, it's not like anyone in Class C actually gets a say on the matter.

"Yo, Takeyama," Ryuuen said, as though greeting an old friend. "That redhead isn't here, eh? You've sure got it tough."

"We have, in fact," I answered. "He's got a pretty short fuse. He probably won't come back."

"Kuku, I'm sorry for the loss," Ryuuen snickered. "Say hello to Suzune for me, okay? And Kikyo as well. Such babes in your Class. I'm jealous."

I sighed. "You know I won't respond to your cheap provocations, Ryuuen. Why do you even try?"

"Why do I try? Because it worked on that musclehead your Class bet their entire lifeline on," Ryuuen said. "Can't hurt to try it on someone else as well, right? It's working, after all."

I can't even say that he's wrong, because, well, he's not wrong.

His strategy to piss Sudo off actually worked, and now Sudo has dashed away like a little child back to the dormitories. He does not understand the major implications his actions have caused. He was anyways not seen as someone with high social status. Instead, you could say he was one of the lowest in the entire grade — he was in Class D, and he was a part of the 'Idiot Trio'. There's a limit to how much you can descend on the social ladder.

In addition to that, he had raised his hand against Hirata. If I hadn't been there to stop him and intercept the hit, his already non-existent reputation would plunge into negatives. Well, considering that he'd ended up hitting me instead, it's not like his reputation had repaired itself in any way. It may sound narcissistic, but I'm aware of my standing on the social ladder.

I had never expected to actually become well-known in the grade, and that too for a good reason. In middle school, I had always been regarded as an unapproachable entity. I usually kept to myself.

I'm apparently mysterious.

That's the conclusion that my middle school classmates had drawn out of me, and I decided to play along with that.

But in this school, where your Class indirectly showed your abilities of a class as a whole, I cannot afford to be branded as a failure.

Unlike Ayanokoji, I do not mind showing my prowess. I ignored Ryuuen for the time-being, and focused back on Miyake, who had been silently listening into our conversation.

"You've sure got it rough, eh?" Miyake asked me. "It must be hard to deal with the fact that you're on Ryuuen's radar right now?"

"Radar? What to do you mean?" I asked quizzically.

"I meant that Ryuuen is a jerk," Miyake interjected. "Back in middle school, he was a pretty famous delinquent. His name used to make rounds alongside another one. Those two were kinda like the powerhouses of the area."

"Wait, you attended the same middle school as Ryuuen?"

"No, not the same one. But they were close by."

"Were you by chance a delinquent as well, Miyake-kun?" I joked.

"Now that you say it, yeah," said Miyake, and I widened my eyes in surprise. "Not like some sort of beat-everyone-up type delinquent, but I was known for getting into fights along with a group of friends. Fun times."

"Woah, I didn't know you were the type," I said. "At least, your first impression definitely did not give off a vibe of being a former delinquent."

"I tried to change things up in the last year of middle school," he said. "Mum would get pissed when I got myself injured, so I decided to abandon the path."

"Sounds like your mother was a good person."

"Isn't everyone's?"

"True that. Who's the other guy you're talking about though? You said there were 2 famous ones in your area?" I asked curiously.

"I don't really know, we never attended the same school," said Miyake. "But his name was... House? Hoe? Wait, I don't remember..."

Our conversation was cut short by the referee arriving at the starting line with the pistol. We immediately crouched down and readied ourselves for the race.

Bang!

The pistol set off, and we started off with the untied legs.

"Start slowly," Miyake said. I nodded in understanding, and we slowly started jogging with me counting out the numbers.

I slowly increased my counting speed, and we increased the length of our strides. We picked up a pretty decent pace, and were running at a comfortable 3rd place.

"Wanna speed up a bit?" Miyake asked me.

"Sure. Thought you weren't gonna ask."

We increased our pace considerably, and it was surprising how easy it was to run with good coordination. Even though me and Miyake had never run together in a three-legged race before, it felt unnaturally easy.

We eventually passed by the 2nd placed pair as well, and we took 2nd place in the race, just behind the Ryuuen-Tokito pair.

(btw, when you pass the person in 2nd place, you're now in 2nd place, not 1st. I've seen people get confused over this. Think about it!)

"Phew, I can't believe we actually made it," said Miyake. "I was so sure that we were gonna come dead last."

"I felt like that was a lowkey savage roast directed at me," I mumbled, and Miyake chuckled. We headed back to the stands.

"My leg hurts..." Miyake lamented.

*

"Sudo and Horikita still haven't returned?" I asked Ayanokoji as I stood next to him. He shook his head.

"No. It's been over 20 minutes. The omnidirectional tug-of-war is in 5 minutes, and the 1200m relay starts almost immediately after. There's no time left," he mused.

"I'm not taking part in the omnidirectional tug-of-war," I said reluctantly. "My hands are dead."

"My condolences. I'm sorry for your loss."

"..."

*

(The 1st Year Dormitory; Horikita, Suzune POV):

"Sudo-kun."

I called out to him in a gentle voice so as to not startle him. He immediately put some distance between him and myself, and he turned his head around.

"Horikita... why did you come here? Is it to perhaps persuade me?"

"Do I look like the type to come all the way just to persuade you?"

"No, not at all... then why did you come?"

"I'm searching for a reason myself."

"Ah."

Sudo tilted his head as though he didn't understand anything. Why, I wonder. When I finally found Sudo-kun, I felt as though I couldn't say a thing. I think back on why exactly I went to such lengths to look for him.

"If you withdraw, Class D will not stand a chance."

"I suppose so. Matter of fact, aren't they in trouble right now?"

"No, not at all."

Sudo quizzically tilted his head. "What do you mean, they aren't in trouble?"

"It's just as I said. We're definitely lacking in manpower, and we're probably gonna lose a few of the Recommended Events. But Takeyama-kun has been holding up the weight of the festival now. He asked me to come and persuade you. He knows that you're a vital cog if Class D has any chance of winning."

"Even though I was carrying them all, and now that bastard Takeyama is gonna take credit for everything..." Sudo mumbled.

I suddenly felt a rising feeling in my chest, one that I had never felt before. One of anger towards Sudo for berating my friend.

"He's not taking credit," I said forcefully. Even Sudo was alarmed at my sudden tone, and he gasped.

"He's not at fault for simply stopping your rampage. On the contrary, you should be grateful to him. If you had, by any chance, raised your hand against Ryuuen-kun, you might have been disqualified from the sports festival itself."

"I just couldn't stand being on the losing side of it. What he did was against the rules."

"The problem is with your speech and conduct. You're one of the most valuable assets Class D possesses, Sudo-kun, and so is Takeyama-kun. Your presence in the sports festival is almost necessary for us to win."

"..."

"But perhaps, there are plenty of areas where you need to reflect on. The ultimate proof of that fact is that you're here on your own."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"If you were someone people could trust and rely on, then rather than me, you would have had several more classmates here instead. To convince you to come back."

This statement angered Sudo-kun once more, and he kicked the table in the common area lightly.

"Your attitude's the problem here. Class D's always been bossed around by you. The midterm exam, the incident with Class C. Snapping and going on a rampage this time around. It's because you keep doing things like this that no one follows you."

"So you've come here to preach me as well. Spare me, Horikita. I don't have time for this shit."

"You need to come to recognize your flaws, Sudo. Only then will people actually listen to you for once. You've been given the responsibility to lead and carry the class."

"That's because you guys made me."

"And we rightfully did so. You have a great responsibility on your shoulders, and you're giving up on it just because you failed," I mercilessly continued.

"Shut up."

"You're still as childish as ever. Your antics won't be forgiven so easily by Class D."

"I said shut up!" He glared at me, probably thinking he looked like a wild tiger right now. However, that wasn't going to deter me. He slowly came to realize that I had not moved an inch, and he sighed very loudly.

"Tch... what's the matter?"

"Your weakness is that you're too easy to figure out. Class C took advantage of that and completely ousted you in this event. Your own attitude has become your downfall."

"Oh goddamn it, shut up already, will ya?! Your preaching is going to make me vomit!"

Sudo turned aggressive in an instant, and threatened to shut me down. However, even in face of such unrelenting violence, I cannot back down. I cannot let down my Class.

I cannot let down Takeyama-kun.

"If you dislike it, you're free to hit me."

"Hit you? I couldn't... I couldn't possibly do that."

"Is it because I'm a woman? It may not seem like it, but I can knock you out before you can land a punch on my face," I said.

"So you fully intend on fighting me head-on...? You really are a strange woman. Like you said, no one else from the class came to help, but you still came after me."

I twitched my eyebrows in irritation. "Did you know that your punch has injured Takeyama-kun again?"

"So what am I supposed to do? He's just doing it for the attention. Go and apologize?"

"That's exactly what you're supposed to do. Your punch was meant for Hirata-kun, but Takeyama-kun blocked it last moment to avoid any casualties. He had already injured his other arm during the cavalry fight, during which again, you were the one who lost control against Ryuuen-kun. Even then, Takeyama-kun has not thought of you as a burden even once. Yet, you think he's doing all this just for attention?"

Sudo stayed quiet at my verbal backlash. He turned his head around and let out an inaudible sigh of some sort.

"Takeyama-kun continues to believe in you. He continues to believe that without you, Sudo-kun, Class D knows no chances of winning. And yet here you are, berating the only person in the class who trusts you."

"... I don't care. I'm leaving."

"There's still time, Sudo-kun. You can still go back and mend your relation with the class. Everyone will be more than happy to welcome you back. You can continue to support the class and we can win."

"I said I don't care. I'm going back to my room," he huffed, and he headed towards the elevator.

"I'll be waiting here. I'll wait here forever if it comes to that. I will be here, Sudo-kun. So if you change your mind, don't hesitate to come back down."

And with that last statement, Sudo disappeared into the elevator.

*

(The Sports Festival; Takeyama, Keisuke POV):

"Wait, there's a mixed gender three-legged race?" I said in wonder. Just how many three-legged races had the school planned out? There was the Individual Competition Race, then a separate gender Recommended Event, and now there's a mixed gender three-legged race?

"Wait, you didn't know, Keisuke?" Hirata looked at me, as if amused. "You literally said you'd be dropping out of this one. Ayanokoji-kun and Horikita-san were going to be taking part from our class, but since Horikita-san isn't here, Ayanokoji-kun has to pair up with someone else."

"Right." Wait, why can't I remember? Do I have Alzheimer's or something?

"Who're you planning to pair up with?" I asked Ayanokoji.

He shrugged. "You think I'm close to any of the girls other than Horikita?" The hidden sadness in those words impaled my poor heart.

I mechanically nodded, and looked around the camp for a suitable substitute. "Wanna run alongside Kushida-san?"

"Kushida? I guess I don't mind. I might as well ask her a few questions about the Participation Table," he replied with his usual poker face.

"Don't drag in my name, 'kay~~"

Even Ayanokoji looked at me with what I assumed was a revolted expression, and he slowly headed towards the grounds with Kushida.

Ichinose and Shibata were paired together from Class B, and I had no idea who the other pairs were. I assumed that Kinoshita would have been a part of this event, and Yajima-san had taken her place alongside Ryuuen again.

The race started without any delay, and the Ayanokoji-Kushida pair sped ahead forward with good coordination. Their opponents didn't seem to be of high caliber, so they ended up taking 3rd place in the race. It was a good position for a pair that had never practiced together before.

There was only one event left now — the 1200m relay. Sudo and Horikita still hadn't returned. Miyake had injured his left foot apparently, and now we were short of 2 people.

The initial list consisted of Sudo, Hirata, Onodera, Maezono, Horikita and myself.. But with 2 absentees, things were getting a bit dicey.

In place of Horikita, Kushida could be put in. So the girl's part of the equation could be easily solved. The problem was with the boy's half. If I pulled out, Miyake couldn't fill in for my position since he's injured himself. So the best bet would be to plop in Ayanokoji. But that leaves a big gaping hole in Sudo's spot.

Maybe I should just take part in the race. It's not like my legs are injured.

"Yosuke," I said, and I attracted the former's attention. "I'll take part in the relay."

"Wait, you'll take part in the relay?" Hirata asked worriedly. "But aren't you injured? I think it'll be safer to have a substitute in your place."

"No, it's alright," I waved him off. "I'm perfectly fine. My hands are injured, not my legs. It's not a problem at all."

"Well, if you insist," Hirata reluctantly agreed. "That definitely solves a major problem. Ayanokoji-kun can take Sudo-kun's place then."

I nodded in agreement. So the 2 of us had reached the same conclusion. The final line-up currently stood at —

1st - Keisuke Takeyama
2nd - Yosuke Hirata
3rd - Kayano Onodera
4th - Maezono
5th - Kikyo Kushida
6th - Kiyotaka Ayanokoji (anchor)

Without Sudo-kun, placing first in the competition will definitely be hard. But a podium finish is definitely desirable.

"Why am I the anchor?" Ayanokoji came up to me, and asked. "Wouldn't it be smarted to have, say, you as the anchor instead?"

"I think Yosuke's aiming for a strong start," I replied. "We've placed the fastest 2 runners at the beginning, and then sandwiched the slow runners in between. You'll be the one to finish off the race on a high."

"... how troublesome."

The 6 of us made our way to our respective positions on the track. I was the first one to run, and I was handed the baton by the referee. I slowly scanned through my opponents for the first round. My eyes widened upon seeing a particular person.

"Kouhai! So you'll be starting off the race as well?" the second year senpai happily addressed me.

"Why are you starting off the race, Nagumo-senpai? Wouldn't it have been smarter for you to stay as the anchor? I think that's what Horikita-senpai has decided to do as well," I said, pointing towards the last set of runners, or the anchors. It was a dangerous line-up. The Student Council President from Class 3-A and Sho Shibata from 1-B; they were all part of the final leg.

"Why did I not take the role of anchor?" Nagumo-senpai comically placed his right hand on his face, as if in deep thought. "Well then, kouhai, why did your class choose someone who isn't fast for anchor as well?"

"We have our strategies."

"Then I guess this is Class 2-A's strategy!" Nagumo said. "Or maybe I should just tell you the truth. I was supposed to be the anchor, but when I saw that you had been assigned as the starting runner, I couldn't help but change my position."

He changed his position just so he could race against me?

"But that means your initial strategy was different, right?" I said. "Did you abandon your class's chances of winning just so you could race against me?"

"Perhaps?"

"Then don't fall behind, I guess," I replied nonchalantly. Nagumo involuntarily twitched his eyebrows.

"You're getting a bit too cheeky, kouhai. But I'm definitely not going to make any promises here," he said. It was painfully clear from his wording that Nagumo sees me as a potential rival, and he isn't willing to make any concise statement, saying that he would beat me. He does not underestimate my abilities, in other words.

"I'll join, by the way."

"Hmm?"

"I'll join the council," I said, much to Nagumo's pleasure. "I've thought over it, and I've come to the conclusion that it's a chance that is too good to miss."

"Very well! I'm happy to hear that! So let's see... you'll start of--"

"But I have one condition, senpai."

Nagumo stopped in his tracks. "And what might that be?"

"I still want Horikita-senpai to take my interview. I want to hear directly from the mouth of the Student Council President that he approves of me joining the Council."

Nagumo stayed silent for a while. "We've already had this conversation before, right? I'm the Vice President. Having my approval is enough for you to be acknowledged by the Student Council. You don't need to seek further praise from Horikita-senpai."

"Praise? Is that your honest opinion of me, senpai?" I asked, a bit irked by his words. "You think I'm doing this for the praise?"

"Oh my, not at all! Don't take my words in bad light, kouhai," Nagumo immediately corrected himself. "I've given you an opportunity to come and join the Student Council — you don't get that type of invitation very often. It just seemed to me that you might waste a precious chance if you try to enter via the normal interview method. It would be disheartening if you did not make it in then."

"Thank you for your concern, senpai, but I'm pretty sure of my abilities," I cited indifferently. "I'm confident that I can get in with the Vice President and President's recommendations."

"Is that what you're after kouhai? Recognition?" he asked scathingly.

"Don't tell me you're in the Student Council for something else, senpai," I shot back. "The entire purpose of joining the Student Council for us first years is to establish a solid foundation for us to work on in our remaining years of high school. In other words, it is to consolidate our position on the social forum. If someone says they're not doing it for the recognition, they're lying."

"But there are several students who are trying to join the Council because they truly want to, you know?" Nagumo said. "One of them is a very dedicated first year. You'll meet them when you join, I guess."

Our conversation was cut short by the referee's arrival.

The last event of the Sports Festival was about to begin. The referee cocked the pistol, and we took our stances.

Crack!

The sound of the pistol echoed throughout the stadium, and all runners dashed forward, leaving behind a cloud of dust.

A/N's:

Yeah.

Nagumo pulled off a smol-brain move right there.

Thank you for reading, please vote for the chapter! Cheers.

Chapter 38 - Exposed, Part 1

(The Sports Festival; Sakayanagi, Arisu POV):

Takeyama-kun dashed ahead at full speed, completely obliterating all opposition. The current Student Council Vice President, Nagumo Miyabi, with whom he was having a spirited conversation, was left behind in the dust, unable to match up to his thunderous pace.

The entire student body gawked at the spectacle. He had put on nearly 25m of distance between himself the 2nd placed runner, and there was still around a 100m left until the baton would be passed on to the second runner.

"Wait, he was holding back this entire time?" Masumi-san whispered, but I caught onto her words. "And I thought he was already fast enough."

"Fufu, looks like he really has been holding back," I said, and Masumi turned to look at me quizzically.

"It's not like you to be interested," she dismissed.

"Of course I am interested in Class D's Leader," I said. "He exudes such a calm and composed aura, and he has pulled off quite a few public stunts."

"Public stunts, eh? He's only berated Katsuragi before, hasn't he?" Masumi-san asked me. "That's the only thing I remember him for."

"Oh no, he's done so much more," I said. "But I wonder if he's working along with him in the shadows...?"

" Him? Who're you talking about?"

"No one in particular. Someone who I have longed to meet for so many years now," I smiled. "It seems they are both not aware of each other's backgrounds."

Masumi-san looked at me with a strange expression. "You're weirding me out. You're not making any sense."

"Fufu. Unfortunately, that's what it would sound like to someone who doesn't know the truth."

Masumi-san stared at me for a few seconds, before ignoring me and looked back at the relay. Class 1-D had gained a tremendous lead, thanks to Takeyama's blitzkrieg start, and they were currently leading the race in first place.

My class wasn't doing all that bad either. Nishikawa-san was a good athlete, and she was currently running in 4th place. 2nd place was taken by Class 2-A, who were slowly closing the imposing gap that Takeyama had created in the first lap.

The baton of Class 1-D was now in Kushida-san's hands, and she burst ahead at her maximum speed. However, due to the physiology of the female body, they were on an average slower than their male counterparts. Slowly, Class 1-D lost the lead to Class 3-A and Class 2-A, and were trailing in 3rd place.

It's almost his turn to run...

The Class 3-A baton was passed onto the current SCP, and he dashed forward at an incredible speed. The Class 1-D baton, which had fallen to 3rd place, after being overtaken by Class 2-A, was finally passed to the man I most wanted to see run in the relay.

And he did not disappoint me.

Ayanokoji-kun ran ahead at full throttle, rivalling the speed that Takeyama-kun showed at the beginning. His battle with the SCP was entertaining, to say the least.

The anchor of Class 2-A, who had been running in 1st place, was completely dumbfounded at the speed that the 2 racers were approaching him at, and he stumbled before Ayanokoji-kun. He skillfully dodged the fallen man. However, this delay of a second was enough to hand the SCP his much needed respite, and Class 3-A finished in 1st place, followed by Class 1-D. Class 2-A took 3rd place.

"You're kidding me," Masumi-san murmured from beside me. "Class D just has a bunch of people who hold back..."

I smiled at her confusion.

"You knew about it, didn't you?" she suddenly asked me.

"Knew about what, Masumi-san?"

"That Takeyama-kun and Ayanokoji-kun were holding back. You're the least surprised. Take the warning or not; Takeyama-kun is becoming a force to be reckoned with. He'll be a dangerous opponent to Class A down the line."

"Fufu. I know that very well, Masumi-san. I'm probably the only one who does not underestimate Class D this year. They have 2 very interesting students this year, after all."

"As usual, I don't understand what you're going on about," she sighed.

"Say, Masumi-san. Can you do me a small favor~?"

*

(The Sports Festival; Takeyama, Keisuke POV):

The Sports Festival had finally come to a close, and all runners were to head back to the camps for refreshments and announcement of the results.

It seems Sudo and Horikita had returned as well, but they were late. Sudo formally apologized to the class, and apologized to me individually as well. I wonder what Horikita did to change his demeanor so much.

"But damn, Takeyama, Ayanokoji, you're crazy fast!" Sudo patted me and Ayanokoji on the back. Or hit me on the back. "That speed, man..."

"I guess it was hysterical speed," Ayanokoji-kun said monotonously. "I got a bit excited, I guess."

"A bit excited, my ass," Sudo said. "That kind of speed is absolutely abnormal. Heck, you'll even beat me in a race fair and square! Have you been holding back until now?"

"No, not really. As I said, it's all just hysterical strength," Ayanokoji said again.

Horikita approached me when I managed to escape undetected from the crowd. Most of the attention was focused on Ayanokoji, since his speed was definitely more surprising than mine. Still, it hurt to know that there is someone out there who can match my pace.

For a second, just for a second, I felt threatened.

That there is someone out there. Who could possibly be better than me.

I unconsciously balled my hand into a tight fist, and let out a deep sigh. No, I could not allow this to get to my nerves. I slowly took in deep breaths, and I could feel my pulse slowing down.

"Something the matter?" Horikita asked me, as she limped and approached me.

"Hmm? No, nothing," I said, as I relaxed. "You got Sudo back. How you did it will forever remain a mystery to me."

"It's a mystery even to me," Horikita scoffed. "I couldn't arrive here back in time, though. We were only 2 minutes late. We came in when you were running the race." She eyed me suspiciously once again. "So you're hiding incredible speed now as well?"

"Well, I'm not hiding it anymore."

"Are you planning to unveil each and every one of your qualities one-by-one like some sort of unboxing video?" she asked scathingly.

"You've given me a good idea. Maybe I will do that now," I replied.

Horikita sighed. "You know what? I don't even care anymore. The results will be announced soon."

"Yeah."

I turned back to the big screen that was shown in the stadium, and I patiently waited for the results to flow in.

The screen buzzed to life, and the speaker announced. " The winner of this year's Sports Festival is..."

" The Red Team."

Everyone released their breaths that they had been subconsciously holding in. Looks like we had managed to scrape past the White Team this time.

" And for the individual class standings for the First Years —"

I squinted my eyes to look at the screen.

1st Place — Class 1-B
2nd Place — Class 1-D
3rd Place — Class 1-A
4th Place — Class 1-C

(in the novels, class D came last. But since Takeyama gave it his all and actually secured 1st place in quite a few events, the ranking has changed)

The placements were satisfactory for Class 1-D. We were the only Class in our year to not enter into negative Points. Class 1-B had come in first place, and hence received 50 Points, but their loss as the White Team was a minus 100 Points, which was a net loss of 50 Points.

Class A had a net loss of 50 Points, while Class C would be hit the hardest, with a net loss of 200 Points.

I quickly did a mental calculation of the Class Rankings in my head —

Class 1-A -- minus 50 CP -- 874 CP (led by Katsuragi/Sakayanagi)
Class 1-B -- minus 50 CP -- 753 CP (led by Ichinose/Kanzaki)
Class 1-C -- minus 200 CP -- 442 CP (led by Ryuuen)
Class 1-D -- minus 0 CP -- 433 CP (led by Takeyama/Horikita)

We were abnormally close to Class 1-C now. A single digit difference— we were only 9 Class Points away from being promoted to Class C. This was exceptional growth on our part. Depending on the next Special Exam, it would not be impossible for us to even close the gap with Ichinose's Class and jump up to Class B.

"What are you grinning about? It's creepy," Horikita said, as she took a few steps back from me.

"You've always got to be there to ruin the moment," I said. "We're pretty close to getting promoted now. These last few special exams have ended in Class D's favor. Though we didn't get any points this time, the other classes lost Points. So I guess it's okay."

"We're only 9 Class Points away from Class C," Horikita said. She also must have calculated the new standings. "The next Special Exam could be a game-changer."

"It will be the game-changer. I'm sure of it."

The screen display burst to life once again, to announce the MVP of each year.

" The MVP of the First Years is..."

"I'm 100% sure it's Shibata," I said nonchalantly to Horikita.

" Sho Shibata, Class 1-B."

Horikita let out a sigh for the 100th time. "I don't understand. Why do you know everything?"

"Wasn't it kind of obvious? Sudo and I missed out on a few events because of stuff, and Shibata has been consistently getting 1st place or 2nd place. It's definitely got to be him," I gave a detailed analysis.

"Stuff that is obvious to you isn't obvious to the rest of us," said Horikita. "I hate to admit it, but you're someone who's definitely better than me."

"Haw~~? Horikita-chan herself telling me that I'm better? Now, now, I'm not ready for such flattery~~"

"I take back my words."

I slowly let a genuine smile creep up on my lips, and I turned back to face the Class. The Class was in an overall good mood, since Sudo had apologized and we had managed to come in 2nd place in the event.

Sudo slowly walked up to Horikita.

"You haven't forgotten your promise, have you?" Horikita said, as the redhead approached.

"No, I'm a man of my words. I couldn't get the MVP, so I'll call you Horikita and not Suzune," Sudo said with a tone of sadness. "But I'll definitely make up for it."

"That's good to hear."

There was an awkward silence between the two of them, and I was stuck in between. I was being a major third-wheel here right now. I should just curl up in a ball and die.

"That being said, I have been a major liability in this festival as well," Horikita said, as she seemingly stared off into nowhere. "I deserve a punishment as well."

"P-punishment?" Sudo muttered awkwardly.

"I guess you can call me by my first name. That will be my punishment." My tsundere radar was suddenly going off. I wonder why.

"I-- wait, what?"

"You heard me the first time, Sudo-kun. I give you permission to call me by my first name. It's what everyone calls 'finding common ground'."

"R-right," Sudo said, and he widened his eyes and screamed a scream of pure joy and ecstasy.

"Alright! Wooooohooooo! This Sports Festival is the best, Suzune!"

And the redhead ran off to celebrate his newfound success with his friends.

"I can't believe you actually allowed him to call you by your first name," I muttered. "When do I get the privilege? I'm like, your first friend and stuff."

"You shall never be granted permission to use my first name," she replied coldly.

"Come on! I'm like carrying the Class right now!"

"I don't care. If you call me by my first name, I'll skin you alive."

"... right."

*

(The Sports Festival; Horikita, Suzune POV):

I slowly left the crowd along with Takeyama and Kushida. The 3 of us silently made our way out of the grounds, being the only ones who knew the gist of the situation we were currently in.

We reached an empty classroom in the main building, and Ryuuen was standing there, waiting for us to pop out. His smile grew wide as the 3 of us approached Class C's dictator.

"Look who we have here," Ryuuen sneered. "So you've come to finally admit your mistake?"

"I will continue to call myself innocent. You can think of me as guilty, Ryuuen-kun. It does not change the fact that I have been ensnared in lies this time. I am only admitting defeat to your strategy this time," I said.

"Kuku, so you're admitting defeat? Takeyama, you hear that?" Ryuuen taunted the man standing next to me. "You've lost. Admit it. You tried to pull off some sort of dirty strategy, and this is what you ended up with. I thought you weren't like me. But you're quite the violent leader, aren't you?"

Takeyama stayed silent to his taunts. Getting riled up now would not help us in any way, and Takeyama-kun knew that very well. Did he really have nothing up his sleeve this time?

"Before we proceed, I think it's okay for you to end this farce, is it not, Kushida-san?" I said.

"Eh? Farce? What do you mean, Horikita-san?" Kushida looked at me with puppy eyes.

"I don't really mind you playing the good guy here but that's not what you're after right? This sports festival. You leaked the information. That's why Class C was able to pull it off so brilliantly. Even though you incurred a loss of 200 Class Points. I must say, your tactics are demoralizing."

"Kuku. The intention wasn't to win the Sports Festival, Suzune. The intention was to win the battle between the Class leaders. And that's exactly what I've won," Ryuuen said. "And why you standing there like some sort of lost child? Speak up for yourself, Takeyama. You're gonna make a woman do the talking for you since you can't do it yourself? How lame."

Takeyama sighed, but did not speak.

"...come on, Horikita-san," Kushida spoke up. "Whatever are you talking about? Did you hear about it from Ayanokoji-kun, perhaps?"

"No, these are my thoughts alone. Isn't it about time we confronted one another?"

"Confronted? What do you mean, Horikita-san?"

"At the very beginning, I saw you for the first time on the bus, when you tried to make Kouenji-kun give up his seat for an old lady in the bus. I could not recognize you that time." I took a slight pause. "But I remember. I remember you now, Kushida-san. I remember there being someone who went by the name 'Kikyo Kushida' in my middle school."

Even she wouldn't be able to keep up her constant smile when such confidential information was thrown out into the open. Right in front of my eyes, for the first time, I saw her change expressions. But that led to yet another smile.

"Of course you'd remember me. I was quite the problem child."

With that, Kushida fell silent.

"Stop reminiscing about the past," Kushida said.

"You understand very well where I am taking this conversation, right?"

"Of course. You're planning to expose me to the school, am I right? But think about it. Kushida or Horikita? Who is trusted more in this grade? Your threats will hold no meaning."

"It's true that it will not have much effect on your reputation. However, you will not be able to deny the fact that we attended the same middle school. People will harbor doubts in your direction, even if they completely trust you."

"If you try to hurt or expose me in any way, I will thoroughly hunt you down. I will drag that precious brother of yours into my wrath," she said, without a hint of remorse in her voice. I involuntarily twitched at her declaration.

She would drag the person I held the closest down along with her. And I know it's not just empty threats. I was very aware of Kushida's destructive personality. You could say she had mustered up the perfect defense in response to my provocation.

I stayed silent, and I stared at Kushida-san. The girl who was see as an angel by the entire class, the girl who was trusted completely by the entire class. It truly was a shame that this was the true face of the same girl.

Suddenly, Takeyama-kun whipped out his mobile phone, and started dialing something. His actions had attracted the attention of all 3 of us in the room, and Ryuuen squinted his eyes at him. You could hear the faint sound of the dial tone.

"How lame, Takeyama," Ryuuen lamented. "You're actually calling for help? I thought you couldn't stoop any lower than this already."

Suddenly, there was a buzzing sound echo throughout the room. I quickly realized it was coming from Kushida's pocket, and she took out her own mobile phone. Takeyama-kun was calling Kushida-san.

"Takeyama-kun...?" she started. I did not understand. Why did he suddenly call her mobile phone?

Once he had confirmed that the call had connected, he ended it, and fiddled with the phone again. Kushida-san continued to stare at Takeyama-kun, unable to comprehend his actions. Even Ryuuen wore a quizzical look.

" Such absolute idiots! I f*cking hate them! They keep staring at my body with such lewd expressions! A*holes! And Horikita-san! What does she think of herself? She's so goddamn irritating! Die, die, die, die, DIE!"

The priceless expression on Kushida's face darkened in an instant. It turned from one of a victor, to confusion, to plain horror and terror. Ryuuen, on the other hand, burst out laughing, and even had to clutch his stomach and the wall to keep himself from falling over.

"How... what..." Kushida unconsciously stepped back. Her eyes suddenly flared up, and she was no more the Kushida that we all knew. "You... you were the bastard... it was always you, all along..."

"How touching," Takeyama said, as he finally broke his silence. "Yes, it was me, Kikyo Kushida. Now that I have this piece of evidence, you don't really have any cards to play, do you? I'm sure that Ryuuen is now in a fix as well."

"Ryuuen? But why did Ryuuen's plan fail?" I murmured to myself. This was Kushida's demise, wasn't it? Why would Ryuuen's plan fail as well?

Suddenly, everything clearly dawned upon me.

Of course, now that Kushida's past is on the verge of being exposed, she will obviously drag down her accomplices along with herself. In other words, if Takeyama-kun released the recording, then Kushida's name would be completely dragged down into the mud.

And she would obviously also expose all of Ryuuen's plans in this sports festival, including Kinoshita's injury.

This recording currently held both Kushida's nature and Ryuuen's tactics as bait.

But...

"You'll regret this, Takeyama-kun," Kushida said, as she steadied herself. "You think I can't drag you down along with me? It's true, I don't have anything to use against you. However," she glanced at me once, "Horikita's precious nii-san is always there. I can bring pain and destruction to the ones you hold close to you. How about it? If you release the recording, I'll destroy Horikita's life."

"I wonder if you can do that?"

"You underestimate me, Takeyama!" Kushida shouted. "You think I'm not capable of bringing the SCP to his knees!"

I looked at Takeyama-kun. He was completely unfazed by Kushida's threats.

"Unfortunately for you, Kushida, you cannot lay a finger on the Student Council President."

"And why is that?"

"Because I am a part of the Student Council."

The silence in the room was almost deafening. Kushida's eyes widened once again.

Of course. If Takeyama-kun himself is a part of the Student Council, then he could easily play down any rumors against nii-san or the Student Council. In the case Kushida files a complaint against the Student Council, or against Takeyama-kun himself, he can just play it down, and shove it under the rug.

Nii-san trusts Takeyama-kun. The Vice President trusts Takeyama-kun. Once he joins the student council, he will virtually gain a lot of respect and power.

And Kushida cannot do anything about it.

"Why, you..."

Kushida had lost her will to fight. She slumped back, dejected, and silently stood behind Ryuuen, who had been watching the scene unfold with a smile.

"Great! Absolutely flawless! I was wondering why you were standing like some sort of mute idiot back there, but you were thinking all along, weren't you?" Ryuuen said.
"Indeed, I injured Kinoshita myself."

Saying so, he stomped his foot on the ground as hard as he could, indicating how he had inflicted the injury on Kinoshita. My eyes widened at the realization of the pure terror that Class C is ruled under.

"Funny how humans do anything for money, isn't it?" he said. "I offered Kinoshita 500,000 Points for it. She accepted, and I set my little plan in motion."

"But why did you do it even after Takeyama-kun and Kanzaki-kun had come in?" I pressed him further for answers. "Doesn't it make it a lot more suspicious? You would have easily been caught."

"But was I caught? I knew from the very beginning that Kanzaki walking in and acting as a witness means jackshit. His words hold no value. The videos and evidence were skewered in our favor. Even if push comes to shove, Kanzaki wouldn't go that far. At the end, he's someone from Class B, and a dispute between Class C and Class D was only beneficial to him," Ryuuen explained his motive.

He then looked at Takeyama-kun. "You knew as well. You knew that sending in Kanzaki as a witness wouldn't mean anything. At most, it would help to drag out the situation further." Ryuuen licked his lips like a maniac. "But that's what you were after from the very beginning, right?"

Ryuuen paused, before continuing.

"You wanted the situation to drag out. You wanted it to boil down to some sort of deal," Ryuuen said. "Your main aim in getting Kanzaki as a witness was not to close the case, but it was to drag out the case."

Takeyama simply smiled a slight smile, and he looked at Ryuuen. "Of course. I knew from the very beginning that a witness did not hold much value. However, by dragging out the case all the way up to the situation we're currently in, it made it possible for me to hold a negotiation with you, no strings attached. No method to propose a backroom deal."

Ryuuen leaned back against the wall, and held his head in his hand.

"Marvelous. I've been played around completely. Here I thought I was going to catch you off-guard by continuing ahead and injuring Kinoshita, but you wanted me to do that. Everything turned out just like you wanted it to."

I silently processed the situation.

Takeyama-kun had, once again, saved me, and had managed to grab hold of both Kushida and Ryuuen in one stroke.

I was once again reminded of the unfathomable abilities of this man.

He manipulated the entire case right from the very beginning. He knew it was going to end up like this. He intertwined Kushida in her own web. But Ryuuen... there were still some things I did not understand.

Kushida spoke up, but with low, guttural voice.

"You think you've won, Ryuuen-kun? But unfortunately for you, that won't be the case. I cannot allow you to take advantage of me so easily, and watch me get dragged down after you've used me."

Saying so, she took out her mobile phone.

"I've been recording this entire conversation from start to finish," she said, and she slowly formed a sadistic smile on her lips. "You think you're so smart, Ryuuen-kun? I have everything recorded here. All the dirt that you just threw out. You confessed to having injured Kinoshita yourself. It's all here. If you break your promise, I'll destroy you."

"Kuku. You've been recording, Kikyo? Let's hear it. I ain't gonna believe your crap if you don't prove it."

She checked her mobile phone, and navigated to the recorder.

"Here, it's right he--"

She froze up.

"W-wait, h-h-how... why isn't it h-here..." she fumbled with her words, and furiously swiped through her phone. "It's not t-t-there..."

"Kuku, Kikyo. Where is this dirt on me?" Ryuuen sneered. "I thought you were recording?"

"Damn it... how..."

Suddenly, Kushida-san widened her eyes. Her hands started shaking, and she stared daggers at Takeyama-kun.

"You... you called me right at the beginning... it stopped recording, because you called me..." Kushida choked on her words.

Of course. The recorder app does not function when the user is currently in a call, since recording calls requires strict permission from both ends of the line. By calling Kushida's phone, Takeyama-kun had confirmed that Kushida-san would not have any evidence in her hands.

Ryuuen let out a big smile. "Ha! I truly have found a worthy opponent in you, Takeyama. You erased all evidence that Kikyo might have had in her possession just so you could help me? You're indeed foxy. I guess I'll forgive Suzune and let go of the incident this time. This battle has ended in a draw, after all."

"Who said it was a draw?"

For the first time in the room, Ryuuen's smile faltered.

"You have been, haven't you, Horikita?" Takeyama-kun said, as he lightly nudged me. I grasped my own mobile phone and played back the recording.

" You wanted the situation to drag out. You wanted it to boil down to some sort of deal. Your main aim in getting Kanzaki as a witness was not to close the case, but it was to drag out the case.
Marvelous. I've been played around completely. Here I thought I was going to catch you off-guard by continuing ahead and injuring Kinoshita, but you wanted me to do that. Everything turned out just like you wanted it to. "

Ryuuen stared at my phone, which had captured the entire conversation from start to finish.

"You..."

Before entering the room, Takeyama had asked me to set my phone to ' Do Not Disturb', and turn on the recorder app. I understood why he had asked me to turn on the recorder, but the ' Do Not Disturb' part of it became clear to me now.

In the light chance that either Ryuuen or Kushida had called me in that interval, like Takeyama-kun did, then my recording would have stopped as well.

Setting it to ' Do Not Disturb' made sure that there would be no way the recording was going to stop.

As always, his entire plan was meticulously thought out, and there were no stones left unturned. Takeyama had both Ryuuen and Kushida captive with individual recordings.

"I have no intention of letting you win, Ryuuen," Takeyama-kun said calmly. "And of course, to me, a draw is very well considered a loss. I have proof here that you tried to frame Horikita for injuring Kinoshita. However, I'm not going to turn it in. There's no point in me turning it in anyways. I'm not a sadist. I won't bother to pull you down. But this will act as insurance. It's value will slowly diminish, but as long as it is still valuable, it is useful."

Ryuuen wore a dark look on his face. He sighed.

"So I've lost, eh? But this isn't the end, Takeyama. I've got plenty of tricks and tactics up my sleeve. You'd better be ready. Next time, I'll crush Class D." And with that last statement, Ryuuen turned around and left the room.

There was a deathly silence in the room, and Kushida stared at Takeyama like she had found a new enemy.

"The two of you," Kushida started. "You've been nothing but pricks throughout my high school life until now. I'll make you bow down to me, Horikita, Takeyama. I'll screw both of you up, and you won't even know what hit you."

And Kushida followed Ryuuen Kakeru out of the Room.

A/N's (!! Important !!):

Alright. So I'm almost done with volume 5. Takeyama's past will be revealed (just a bit) in the next chapter, so look forward to it.

Also, I've had a lot of work irl lately, and it's getting increasingly hard to keep up with the one day-one chapter pace I've been working on.

So I'll be posting around a chapter every 2 or 3 days now. I know this comes as a disappointment, but hey, I've got work. Duty calls.

Thank you for reading the chapter, and please vote for it to show your appreciation! Cheers.

Chapter 39 - Exposed, Part 2

"Put him in as the Second Batch's first test subject."

"But sir, he's... he's one of the best... he could do well."

"He lacks what is necessary to be perfect. He is too emotional."

"Is he not worth giving a chance?"

"He has already wasted the chance given to him. I will decide whether he deserves to stay in the East Wing or not."

"R-right. So... do I send him over to the West Wing?"

"Yes. Put him under chief supervision. Continue to monitor vitals. If he succeeds, he will be the first ever."

"This might be a last ditch effort from my side, but... the boy is only 3."

"The earlier, the better. We need to know if it works."

"... I understand. I'll transfer him to the West Wing."

The butler held the young boy's small hands, and walked him out of the corridor.

(The Sports Festival; Ayanokoji, Kiyotaka POV):

The Sun was slowly beginning to set. The sky was painted in an orange hue, and the wind was warm.

I made my way over to the school front gate, where I was asked to meet.

The purple haired girl was already there, waiting for me. She beckoned to me.

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

"... did you inform Takeyama? I could not find him after the Festival. He is supposed to be here as well."

"I've messaged him to come. I asked him to meet at the school gates as 5pm. There's still 5 minutes left."

"We shall wait another 5 minutes then," she said crisply.

"I suppose so. What is the reason that you called me here?" I asked.

"You will get to know soon enough. I'm just a middleman. I have nothing to speak to you about."

My poor teenage heart took damage.

We continued to wait in silence. Soon, the silhouette of a young man appeared in the sunset, and he walked over to my position.

"You called me here?" Takeyama asked the girl.

"Yes. Please follow me."

Saying so, the girl took off towards the school, and the 2 of us followed her from behind.

"Where are we going?"

"To the special building."

"Special Building...?"

I suppressed my curiosity, and so did Takeyama. We walked over to the building and entered.

We climbed up to the 2nd floor. This floor brought back memories of Sudo's case. I was again reminded of the fact that there are no cameras present on this floor.

We turned to enter the corridor.

"Wait here."

Saying so, the girl walked out of the corridor, and stopped behind the wall.

"... done well, Masumi-san. Thank you. I may need your assistance later on."

"...sure," the girl named Masumi replied, and she disappeared down the stairs.

The girl behind the wall revealed herself to the 2 of us. She had shoulder length silver hair, and a petite figure. She held a cane in her hand to help her walk. This was Arisu Sakayanagi, Class 1-A.

"Can I assume you were the one to call us here?" I said, as the girl approached us.

"Yes, it was me," was her short reply. The smile never left her face.

"The reason being?"

"Fufu. I'll be getting to that soon."

She paused before continuing.

"That was quite the relay, wasn't it, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka-kun? Your start at the beginning was impressive as well, Takeyama Keisuke-kun."

I wasn't getting the right kind of vibe from this girl.

"So what's the matter? I'd like to wrap this up quickly if possible," Takeyama responded. I echoed the same sentiments.

Her cane tapped against the silent hallway.

Clonk.

Clonk.

"It's been quite long, Ayanokoji-kun. 8 years and 243 days, to be exact." She then turned to Takeyama. "I haven't had the privilege of meeting you before, Takeyama-kun. But I believe it's been over 7 years since I last heard your name."

"I don't even know who you are."

"Fufu. I suppose so. Our acquaintance isn't mutual, after all."

I let out a sigh, and turned around to leave. Takeyama-kun stood at the same spot, still curious as to why Class A's Leader pretends to know us.

Clonk.

Clonk.

"White Room."

I unconsciously stopped in my tracks. As soon as those 2 words pierced my ears, I lost all sense of rationality.

How?

Why?

How does she know?

"Fufu. It's disagreeable, isn't it, to be swept by information that your enemy possesses?"

I turned around to look at the girl.

It was true. I had never met this girl before in my life. I haven't lost any memories of my past either. I was 100% sure that I had met this girl for the first time, in Advanced Nurturing High School.

"Kiyotaka."

A calm, cold voice flooded through the hallway. Takeyama-kun turned to look at me, clearly in the eye. The 2 of us stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity.

"Are you...?"

"Yes," he said without a hint of hesitation. "I am. But I do not remember you being there. Not at all."

The silence in the corridor was one of the most uncomfortable ones I have ever been in.

Takeyama Keisuke is from the White Room.

This was the only logical conclusion I could draw from our encounter. However, I had my doubts. I had never set my eyes on him before. No, I hadn't even heard of him. And it looks like it is the same for him as well. He is left with no clue as to who I am, and how I came to be.

That was quite odd, considering that I had made quite a name for myself in those discolored hallways.

The 2 of us unconsciously looked towards Sakayanagi, who had a smile plastered on her face.

"It's hard to accept, is it not? It seems the two of you haven't been acquainted with each other."

"...you..."

"Understandable, since you don't know me after all," Sakayanagi continued. "But I do know both of you. I was surprised when I learned that both the people who I longed to meet for so long have applied to this school."

"You said you haven't seen me before," Takeyama interjected. "Where did you learn my name?"

"Of course, the same way I learned Ayanokoji-kun's," Sakayanagi said. "I was merely interested, and I've always longed to meet you in person, Takeyama-kun. It really is a dream come true."

"You shouldn't have been able to learn it this easily. Even Ayanokoji-kun is not aware."

"But that is the significance and power of the third-party, is it not?" she smiled. "The 2 of you know nothing about each other, but I know both of you. It's quite unfair, if I do say so myself.
Relax, I do not intend to breath a word about it to anyone. After all, I'm the one who is worthy of burying the false genius.
As soon as I learnt that the 2 of you were attending this school, everything made sense to me. Your victory in the Island Exam, Class D's brush with expulsion — now that your existence has come to light, it has become very clear to me."

"Whatever do you mean by that? I'm not involved in the class affairs, after all. We have quite a few strategists in our class. The real leader is standing right in front of you," I said, trying to divert the attention away from me.

"Fufu. By strategist, do you mean Horikita Suzune-san, or Hirata Yosuke-kun? Unfortunately, not that both your existences have come to light, there's no need for me to think about it anymore."

It seems like she really did know me after all.

"Can I ask you a question?" I said to the short girl.

"I'll be honored to be questioned by the likes of you, Ayanokoji-kun. If you want to know how I know you from the past, I won't hesitate to give you an answer either."

"I'm not interested in that."

We made eye contact.

"Can you really bury me?"

"...fufu."

Sakayanagi started laughing. Takeyama watched the scene unfold in silence.

"Fufu. I apologize for laughing. I did not mean to insult the statement you just made. I know very well just how awe-inspiring the 2 of you are. I've just begun to enjoy this, after all. Because I will be fulfilling my life's wish by destroying the Masterpiece and the Demon your father has made."

*

(Ayanokoji, Kiyotaka POV):

Sakayanagi had left a few minutes ago, and me and Takeyama stood in silence in the hallways. Both of us had been burdened with very interesting information, after all.

"What did she mean by that last sentence?" he suddenly asked me, and I tilted my head. "Your father, I mean. Who is he?"

"He's the chairman and founder of the White Room."

"... I see."

"If you really are from the White Room, why are you not aware of such basic information?" I asked with a slightly puzzled voice.

"I was never told. I only remember my butler from the White Room. No one else."

"... your butler, uh? So you had one?"

"I believe we both grew up in the White Room, but in different environments," he said, and he turned to look at me for the first time. "Did you not have a personal butler?"

"Not while in the White Room," I replied truthfully.

"I really don't understand," Takeyama's voice almost lowered into a whisper. "Your father... is the founder of that place? And you were allowed to attend this school?"

"I wasn't allowed to attend this school. I escaped from the White Room," I said. "This is the only place in the entirety of Japan where I can stay somewhat safe from his grip."

"So you're attending this school against your father's wishes?"

"That would sum it up. What about you, though?" I asked, my curiosity peaked.

"I did not escape. I was sent out by the White Room on a mission. They wanted to see how well their so-called Created Genius fared in the real world."

"Wait, Created... Genius?" I asked. I really did not understand what he meant by these words.

"I was a part of the main 4th generation, like everyone else."

My eyes widened at his reveal. He was a part of the 4th Generation? Why did I not know him then? Was he shifted out of the batch?

"I see you're very surprised," Takeyama said, and he leaned back against the wall. "It's natural to be surprised. I was a part of the Fourth Generation, but they withdrew me from the batch. At least, that's what I heard from my butler. I was very young, so I don't really remember anything. But I was transferred to the West Wing."

The West Wing? Now that I think about it, I've heard of there being something like that in that building in the forests. I have only ever been roaming around and training in the East Wing, and we were never told what happened on the other side.

"What exactly goes on in the West Wing?" I asked. "I've never been to that part."

"Well, I think it's the same thing that happens in the East Wing?" he replied airily. "Or is it? I don't know what happens in your Wing, either."

"We're trained," I said. "Mentally, physically, spiritually. We're molded to perfection."

"Physical, uh?" Saying so, Takeyama unconsciously let out a sigh. "We never did physical training in the West Wing."

"No physical training? I think it's fairly obvious that your bodily specs are top-notch," I replied. "You must be joking."

"There is no physical training in the West Wing. We're enhanced with drugs."

"Drugs?"

"It's not as bad as it sounds. We were still made to do the basic exercises to make sure that our bodies don't wither out. But the muscle building was only through drugs and controlled diet. Everyone in the West Wing is an experiment. I've been told that I'm the second batch in there," he replied as if he were reciting a children's fairy tale.

"So your body functions, all your physical abilities... they're the results of drugs?" I asked with a hint of remorse in my voice.

"Yes. As far as my academic capabilities go, though, I had to learn them. I was subjected to intense academic curriculum. My brain has been developed through hard work and consistent effort, but my body continues to run on external drugs."

"So... my father was the one behind it?"

Takeyama let out a sigh. "I got to know about it today. It's not like I harbor any ill intentions towards you or something, because you're his son. I'm just, surprised, I guess."

So the West Wing was the same thing as the East Wing, but instead of real physical training, they were all drugged?

But why?

"I know what you're thinking," Takeyama said again, as though reading my thoughts. "But I don't know myself. I don't know why I was shifted. I don't know why they enhanced my performance using drugs.
Maybe I'm just an experiment."

An experiment, uh?

If I think about it, that man would have no problem conducting human experiments.

But maybe that man did not treat him that bad.

He did have a personal butler, after all.

I wonder who it is.

"Say, Kiyotaka."

"Hmm?"

"You joined this school to escape your father's clutches, am I right?" he asked me.

"You're right. I wanted to know the true meaning of freedom, something that I have never experienced in my boxed life in the mountains," I replied. "What is your mission, though? If you were really sent out by that man, then I wonder why he allowed you to join ANHS, where contact with the outside is strictly forbidden?"

"... I joined against his will."

"So at the end, you're just like me?" I said.

"I was to be sent out to the States. Apparently, a bunch of our sponsors were apprehensive about continuing to support the White Room. They were suspicious of the results. They wanted to see the abilities of the students for themselves. They sent me out from the West Wing as an ambassador. But I, umm... did a lil oopsie."

"You ditched the program and joined this school instead?"

"Yeah."

That was... quite the escape.

"I don't really know what happened after that. If I remember correctly, the place closed down for some security reasons?" Takeyama pondered. "My butler was the one person I had grown very attached to in that place. He recommended this school to me, a place where I would not be pursued by the White Room."

"Was your butler... named Matsuo, by any chance?" I asked cautiously.

"Matsuo? No, that wasn't his name. He went by the name Daisuke Amasawa."

"I see."

"You said you went to a middle school," I said. "Was it all a lie?"

"Gotta write something on that resumé now, right?"

"I can't believe the school would make such a careless mistake. Every student's background is checked thoroughly. It's because the school knows about your past that they can afford to sort you into various classes. Wasn't your lie caught?"

"Why do you think Sakayanagi-san knows us so well, even though we haven't heard anything about her?" Takeyama asked me.

. . . . . . . . . .

"Her father is the chairman of this school," I said.

"Exactly. I think that is how she knows us."

"You manipulated your entrance exam scores to attract the attention of the Chairman, so he would place you in Class D?" I asked him. "But you wagered it. There was an equal chance that the Chairman would have placed you in Class A if he did not know about the White Room."

"But you did the same thing, did you not?" he asked me. He had hit the mark. "You manipulated your test scores as well. You did the same thing. Both of us were aware of the fact that the Chairman had ties with the organizers of the White Room. Whether he was on our side or not in the situation was the wager. But we won the gamble. He placed both of us in Class D."

"But that was not your wish, was it?" I asked.

Takeyama fell silent at my judgement.

"You weren't aiming for Class D, right?" I asked. "After all, I was aiming to be put in the lowest class only so that I could be free from attention and prying eyes. But you continued to exhibit yourself, and you're currently the infamous cunning Leader of Class D. If you really did not want attention, why did you declare yourself as Leader?"

"... I knew I could not hide anything from you anymore. I was bored."

"Bored?"

"In this school, I was awestruck by the Class Ranking system. It ignited a fire within me, and a burning desire to again be on the top," he said. "You could say that because of the White Room's influence, it is hard for me to accept anything but First Place."

The White Room is an institution where the future leaders of Japan are shaped. It would not be surprising to learn that there was a certain faction within the White Room, namely in the West Wing, that encouraged such egoistic thoughts.

After all, I was subjected to the same mindset training.

The goal is to be the best.

And I have achieved it.

"But you definitely don't seem like it," I said. "You don't look like a person who is hell-bent on securing First Place."

"You don't judge a book by its cover, Kiyotaka. Just like how your outward persona is completely different from your inner feelings."

"... everyone has something that they would protect with all their might, even if it might be a change from their usual personality," I said. "To me, that thing is currently my freedom. What I do not understand is your motive. What would you give your everything to protect? What is your purpose in this school?"

"My purpose, eh?"

There was a long drawn out silence, which neither of us broke. The tension in the air was thick, you could cut it with a knife.

Finally, he spoke.

"I don't have a purpose. The reason I joined this school is because my butler asked me to."

"So that is your purpose."

"...?"

"Is he, what you would say, an important person to you?" I asked.

"... he is. He was instrumental in my development. He was the person who cared for me, and the one who raised me. Even though he had a wife and a daughter, he treated me like his own son."

Takeyama widened his eyes, and stared right through me.

"My emotions. That is what I would give my everything to protect."

"Emotions?"

"I have not met many students from the White Room. But one thing was certain — they lack emotion. They attempt everything with a logical mindset. That includes you, Kiyotaka."

"What do you mean, logical mindset?"

"When you hold a conversation, it is very obvious that you are not well versed with talking to others. But do you get the same vibe from me?"

Now that I think about it, no.

Even though Takeyama Keisuke is from the White Room, he still has his emotions.

He can hold conversations efficiently, and he can rally up people to his cause with strong words. He is adept at several nuances of society.

In other words, he still has what it means to be human.

I wonder if I still fall under the category known as ' Human'?

"No," I replied truthfully. "I would never have guessed you were from the White Room. You don't give off the right kind of attitude."

"Then maybe that is what I would give my life to protect," he said without a hint of hesitance. "I would give it my all to protect my emotions, to protect my feelings. For that is what makes me who I am."

(Takeyama, Keisuke POV):

We had delved into each other's lives much more than either of us had anticipated.

In my entire life, I would never have thought of sharing my past with anyone.

But here I am, sharing it with a friend that I made in this school.

For a moment, I thought back to all the emotions that I had felt towards the brown haired man standing in front of me.

Envy.

Jealousy.

But all these emotions disappeared along with the wind when I learned about Ayanokoji's past.

I slowly stretched my back, and closed my eyes.

I had always thought that no one could beat me. But I have found an equal.

I thought I could beat everyone in all aspects.

But I was wrong.

After all,

Only someone from the White Room can beat someone from the White Room.

[Volume 5; Another Like Me; End]

Chapter 39.5 - The Student Council

The Sports Festival was finally over, and the school had graciously provided all students with a well-deserved three-day break to recover from the physical strain that we were subjected to during the occasion.

As I laid down on my bed, relaxing, I turned my uninjured hands over in front of me.

Yes, uninjured.

The aim was to somehow involve Ayanokoji in the 1200m relay. However, since both Sudo had already run off and Miyake-kun had been injured, he had anyways made it into the Team. It seems faking my injuries was not necessary.

In the case that Sudo had returned in time, I would have excused myself from the race, and coerced Ayanokoji into joining the Team. In the end, my goal was to somehow involve him in the race. I wasn't expecting him to run full throttle during the anchor showdown, but I guess he ended up drawing quite a lot of attention to himself.

Which led me to another question — why did Ayanokoji suddenly showcase his athletic prowess? If his goal is to remain inconspicuous in his 3 free years from the White Room, why did he draw this much attention to himself in front of the entire student body? It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that his final race against Horikita-senpai had all Second and Third Years wagging their tongues.

Was Horikita-senpai somehow behind it? I couldn't be sure if I did not ask Ayanokoji directly. Now that the 2 of us had opened up to each other, and discovered that we were of the same background, there was no need for passive hostility anymore.

All this while, the 2 of us have never really trusted each other, and we've regarded each other as an interesting specimen. But now there is no requirement to stay cautious.

We were allies now. True allies.

The phone lying on my bedside stand buzzed to life. I checked the identity of the caller.

"Miyabi Na-gay-mo"

Accept --Decline

Ew.

Why was he calling me?

It suddenly dawned upon me that I had confirmed my availability and had accepted the position of Student Council Secretary.

I reluctantly answered the call.

"Hello?"

" Kouhai! How've you been?"

"... it was fine until you called."

" Now, you don't have to be so brute! You're the Secretary of the Council now, right?"

"I guess I am. Why did you call me?"

" Can I not even call my favorite kouhai for a little chat?"

"..."

" I won't take much time, and I'll get down to business. I'll send you the link to join the Student Council Group. Make sure you join fast, right?"

"...you called me up to tell me that?"

" That's the first thing. Secondly, you'll be having your first appearance on the Student Council tomorrow."

"Appearance? What is this, Forbes?"

" No, it's not Forbes. Horikita-senpai will be stepping down as the Student Council President. The ceremony will be held in the School Gymnasium tomorrow morning. All Council Members need to be present."

Oh... that's a shame.

"Wait, really? I wanted to work with Horikita-senpai for once. It's really a shame that he's stepping down before I could have a chance to work alongside him."

" It's not as sappy as it sounds. Senpai will not be the President anymore in name, but he will continue to be a part of the Student Council and oversee the proceedings. He's got to train his new President in the field, after all."

"New President? You don't mean you, do you, senpai?"

" Bingo! You're perceptive as usual, kouhai. I am the Vice President, so it is inevitable that I will succeed Horikita-senpai as the new Student Council President."

My disappointment is immeasurable, and my day is ruined.

"...right. Congratulations, senpai."

" Well, I've got quite an event to organize tomorrow, so I'll be ending it here. I'll leave the new Secretary out of this for now, but you've got to start showing up in the Council Room pretty often now. Have a good day, kouhai."

"You too, senpai."

I ended the call almost immediately. I cannot allow my phone to be connected to someone like Na-gay-mo for any longer than required.

A few moments later, I received the group invitation from the new President, and I proceeded to join the group.

There were only a few other members in the group. From the names on their profiles, I could identify Manabu Horikita, Akane Tachibana, Miyabi Nagumo, Ikuto Kiriyama and...

Ichinose Honami?

Wait, she's a part of the Student Council?

I guess it made sense though; she had excellent social skills and is one of the top candidates of our year. It would be surprising if she weren't in the Council instead.

Ikuto Kiriyama was a Second Year student who I had first seen during my pool volleyball match against Nagumo.

Now that I recall, one of the second years on my team that day had purposely crashed into me when I had jumped up to spike the ball.

That second year was Kiriyama.

Why had he so suddenly bumped into me when we were just one shot away from sealing the match? It was a completely suicidal tactic. We would have won that game against Nagumo if he hadn't bumped into me that day.

I'll leave that thought for later.

I received a message on the Class D group chat that a bunch of them were going to Keyaki Mall to pass the evening. I saw that both Yosuke and Chiaki were going along, and I had nothing to do in the evening either.

I decided to go shopping.

A/N's:

Hey guys! Hope you're all doing well in the festive season! Here's a small chapter to add to your day.

Thank you for reading, and please vote for the chapter!

Wish you guys all a very Merry Christmas!

Chapter 40 - Loyal Junior

(I will be referring to Manabu as Horikita-senpai and Suzune as Horikita, just to avoid confusion)

The view from the stage was significant.

Never in a million years had I thought that I would actually have to get up on stage. I don't do well with crowds, after all. I think this is what they call 'stage fright' — that uncanny feeling that you'll be booed and thrown shoes at for no fault of yours.

Maybe my uneasiness did not amount to something major like complete nonsense muttering on the stage. I hadn't quite entered the realm known as 'stage fright'. Considering this is my first time ever on a platform, maybe this was the excitement of a new experience.

I was seated next to President Horikita, who was on my right, and Ichinose Honami to my left. She was the one who was most surprised at my sudden arrival in the Council Room yesterday.

I had noticed that Class D students don't get preference even here, in interviews for the Student Council. Every single member of the Council was from Class A, spread across the 3 Years, except for Ichinose-san and myself. Kiriyama-senpai was a part of Class A, but dropped down to Class B in special exam battles. I'm apparently the first Class D member in the history of this school to have made it into the Student Council.

That being the case, my name is already making rounds in the entire Second and Third Year student bodies.

My Class 1-D had got to know about me joining the Student Council only yesterday, via Kushida's 'huge information network'. I was bombarded with questions by pretty much everyone in the Class except Horikita, Chiaki, Yosuke and Kiyotaka. They were the only ones who were already aware of this development.

My thoughts were interrupted by the moderator announcing the arrival of the current President. Horikita-senpai slowly took the stage, and stood in front of the microphone.

My trained eyes searched for a specific person in the assembled gathering.

Horikita was there, standing amid the throng. A younger Horikita would have immediately palpitated and shrunk away from her elder brother's imposing aura. But she stood her place, intently staring at the stage with hope and determination in her eyes.

For a moment, our eyes met, and I cracked a soft smile.

And she returned a small one as well.

My untrained heart was not ready for such high level attacks already. I quickly averted my eyes, and proceeded to stare a hole into Horikita-senpai's head. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Horikita herself surprised at her involuntary reaction, and she pursed her lips to avoid any sort of reaction to leak out.

That'll be one point for me, tsundere.

"I'm very proud to have led the Student Council for nearly 2 years. I'm also very grateful. Thank you very much," Horikita-senpai said to the crowd. His speech was brief and unemotional, delivered with the air of solemn obligation, and he retreated back to his seat beside me once he was done.

"President Horikita, thank you for all your hard work. Now then, we'd like to invite Nagumo Miyabi, a second year Class A and the next Student Council President, to say a few words."

Nagumo walked onstage and stood in front of the microphone.

"Hello. I'm Nagumo, second-year Class A. Student Council President Horikita, I'd like to express my respect for you, while also emphasizing what an honor it's been to serve alongside the most capable President in this school's history. You've exhibited the strongest leadership possible."

He bowed his head deeply towards the President's direction.

"Allow me to introduce myself once more. My name is Nagumo Miyabi, and I'll be assuming the position of Student Council President here at the Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School. I sincerely look forward to working with all of you."

Nagumo wore a thin smile on his face, and the entire sullen atmosphere in the room was suddenly replaced by a thick layer of mystery. I could feel the pressure of the new President's aura emanating on me already.

"This may be sudden, but for the first order of business, I pledge to change the term length of Student Council members, as well as the general election method. The previous President held the election in October instead of December each year. This arrangement, which saw the new generation of leaders move into their positions early, yielded mixed results.
Therefore, the new Student Council had decided that it is time to take things a step further. From now on, the Student Council President and the officers will have indefinite terms while attending school, so that they may serve until graduation. At the same time, we'll annul both the current general-election system, and any restrictions on the Council's size.
The Council will constantly accept new members. In other words, an excellent candidate can join the council irrespective of how many people are already on it. Also if someone is deemed unfit for office, they can be removed with a majority vote by the Council's members. Please allow me to confirm this thoroughly with all teachers, students, and Student Council members who have served under the previous President.
In order to bring the school to the future, I intend to thoroughly destroy the past."

Horikita-senpai to my right unconsciously gripped the handle of the chair he was seated on a bit harder. If I were in his place, that would be the exact same reaction I would have expressed as well. It's almost like Nagumo is belittling all the work and contributions that Horikita-senpai had made for the school.

"I wanted to make these changes at once. Unfortunately, a newly elected President must deal with many obligations and restrictions first."

There was a drawn out silence in the hall.

"A revolution is coming," Nagumo declared. "Students with real ability will rise to the top, and students without any will fall. I intend to turn this school into a true meritocracy, so please, give me everything you've got. I look forward to seeing what you can do."

The silence in the hall was broken by fervent cheering from the second-years assembled in the crowd. We first-years were still new to this system, so it was impossible to judge whether this would be a good decision or not in the long run.

There is definitely a rift between the third-years and the second-years. Some sort of mutual hatred that we first-years were not aware of, and if my prediction is correct, then Nagumo is the crux of the problem.

And my predictions aren't usually wrong.

I stayed back after the entire ordeal to help with cleaning up the stage, and putting all the chairs back in their places.

"Takeyama-kun, was it?"

I turned to face the source of the voice. I was met by a man of average height, about 175 cm, with his hair swept to both sides. I recognized him as Ikuto Kiriyama, second-year and a part of the student council.

Now that I get a good look at his face, he kinda looks like Ike. A bit better, though.

"That's me. Do you need anything, Kiriyama-senpai?"

"After you're done with arranging all the chairs back in their positions, come outside through the southern exit. There's some stuff I need to brief you on as a member of the student council," he replied.

"Is it necessary for us to do it outside?"

"Yes. I'll be waiting for you." With that, he crisply walked out of the Gymnasium. I stared at his retreating back. What was his deal?

I sighed, and placed the last few chairs back in their correct place. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Miyabi Nagumo talking with another second-year, Nazuna Asahina. I've noticed that the 2 of them are quite close.

As I bid farewell to Ichinose and headed out through the southern exit, I swear I saw Asahina-senpai staring at my back, before she proceeded to whisper something to Nagumo. He soon turned to look in my direction as well, so I could assume that I was the topic of their discussion.

I made my way out into the fresh autumn air. The weather was surely getting cooler. The leaves of all the deciduous trees were already beginning to fall off, and the yellow and orange dried leaves made an oh-so-satisfying sound when stepped upon.

I took a moment to appreciate the beauty surrounding me. It's not everyday that I get to see such scenery. Though these things weren't new to me.

I had once been taken outside by Daisuke-san during the winter. I had seen the snow gather up on the soil outside the White Room, and all the trees completely white, much more prettier and serene that I had expected it to look like. I hadn't seen the pre-season, autumn, but the winter gives me a fair idea of what it would look like.

"Over here." Kiriyama-senpai called me out from the bench, and I made my way towards him.

"What is it that you wanted to talk about?" I asked, as I sat down next to the senior.

He looked around us for any signs of intruders or eavesdroppers. Why was he being so cautious?

"Whose side are you on?" he said, once he had scanned his environment.

"...? What does that mean?"

"You got in through Nagumo's recommendation, right? Does that mean you support Nagumo's decision to overturn the school's existing system and create an individual meritocracy?"

It seems that I had been dragged into quite a decision here. It looks like even though most of the second-year student body is on Nagumo's side when it comes to reforming the school, there is still some resistance. And if a member of the resistance happens to be on the Student Council, just like Ikuto Kiriyama, then it could lead to a potential opposition against Nagumo.

"Do you not support the decision, senpai? I think it is a rather interesting concept. I want to see how things turn out," I replied calmly. "You cannot shoot down an idea just because you don't like it."

"I'm not shooting down the method. I just don't think it's a good idea," he replied forcefully. "You need to understand that Nagumo's methods are very self-centered. He thinks only in terms of his own gain and loss. He's already collected every single second-year student's Private Points and kept them as reserve."

Hmm?

What?

"I need more explanation than that, senpai," I said airily. Nagumo was amassing Private Points from all second-years? And they were allowing it?

"Now that Nagumo has come to power in the Council, his influence over the mindsets of all the second-years had become full-fledged," Kiriyama-senpai replied. "He doesn't allow any of the students of the second-year to possess more than 20,000 Private Points at once."

I raised my eyebrows in obvious confusion. "Haw? He doesn't allow anyone to have more than 20,000 Points? And who is he to decide that?"

"He is still the most powerful second-year in the school," he replied. "His position had only been cemented by being promoted to President of the Council."

"But you're the Vice President now, aren't you?" I asked in a tone of annoyance. "Aren't you supposed to be kinda powerful as well?"

Kiriyama sighed.

"I wish that's how it worked. Unfortunately, those who do not belong to Class A anymore do not have any say in the matters involving the grade. The entire second-year student body is in a race to reach Class A; things are very dicey."

I could slowly see a picture form in my mind. Does that mean...?

"You're telling me... Nagumo-senpai is the one who controls the student's promotion chances?"

"You catch on quickly. It seems Horikita-senpai was not wrong when he decided to trust you," Kiriyama replied slowly. "But yes, Nagumo has the Private Points of pretty much everyone in the grade in his account. I do not know an exact number, but estimates say that his net worth exceeds over 20 million Private Points."

20 million Private Points? If I remember correctly, that is the amount of Points required for a single individual to buy a ticket to any Class.

That would mean that Nagumo makes his grade-mates do his work and fight amongst themselves to gain his approval. He's holding out a free Class-A ticket dangling in front of those hungry second-years, and is using them to fortify his position as the grade's most powerful man.

His methods are carefully planned. He collects money, and makes all students who have an incentive to reach Class A, fight amongst themselves. He then collects their Private Point losses as a reward, and promotes a single person to Class A.

There were quite a few questions in my mind right now.

"Just for the record, what are the Class standings in the second-year right now? How many Class Points does each Class possess?" I asked.

"Currently, Class A is leading with a massive 1520 Class Points. Class B is at 850 Class Points, Class C at 680 Class Points and Class D has 410 Class Points," Kiriyama replied.

I widened my eyes. The point difference in the second-year is that huge? It would make sense why Nagumo's plan is working now. All other Classes have pretty much lost all hope of getting into Class A via the normal Special Exam method. It's too far to reach.

Nagumo is using this as fuel to ignite a three-way conflict between Class B, C and D, while he sits back and watches the show. Very sketchy.

I sighed internally, and stared faraway at the huge sakura tree in the center of the park. The pink blossoms were currently slow to come due to the colder weather, and the ground was strewn across with their younglings.

"So why are you telling me this?" I said nonchalantly, and I stared back at Kiriyama.

"I want to know whether you're on Nagumo's side or Horikita-senpai's side on this matter," he crisply answered. "As a member of the Student Council, you cannot stay neutral in this situation. You must take a side. What will it be? Will you support the decision to outmaneuver years of traditional systematics, or will you support the new President in his venture to create an individual meritocracy? The choice is yours."

I pondered over Kiriyama's words. He was stubbornly on Horikita-senpai's side, and he wants to preserve the sanctity and rules of the school. He is adamantly against changing the current by-laws.

Nagumo is more invested in drastic and offensive changes in the framework.

From a layman's point of view such as mine, it reminded me of the internal schism battle between Sakayanagi and Katsuragi.

And it was obvious who won at the end.

But that does not mean Nagumo's methods are right either. Instead of working for the benefit of the school, his sole purpose is to eclipse Horikita-senpai's achievements and is driven by self-centered motivation. The plan to change the school rules is just a farce; a barrier to hide his true intentions of having a one-on-one battle with Horikita-senpai.

But during the Sports Festival, he changed his position from anchor to starter just so he could race me — in which he was thoroughly bested. Even though Horikita-senpai was an anchor as well, he wasted a golden opportunity to compete on an open forum in front of the entire school against his number one nemesis.

Does that mean he sees me as his potential rival now?

Is he changing the school rules and making them more flexible just so he can compete across school years, with me?

If his real intention is to compete against me, I would not want to stop the blond-haired man from continuing to do what he wants to.

I enjoy a challenge after all.

I took in a deep breath, and walked through the cold autumn night in the park next to the main school building. I've been coming here quite often, and it had become my favorite place to destress myself and take a breather. It was almost always empty as well, so I was usually not interrupted by others.

I clutched the letter in my pocket, and I held it out in front of me.

I had found a letter addressed to me in my mail when I returned from the Student Council gathering. It was a love letter — written with colorful pens and a heart sticker in a pink envelope and all.

I suddenly started panicking.

Out of all the harsh treatments and regimens that I had undergone in the White Room, never before have I been trained in how to respond to someone's feelings. It felt alien. Daisuke-san had advised me beforehand that things like these were very commonplace, and that given my face, I should be receiving quite a few of these letters in my high-school life.

But now that I had actually received a letter, I was both confused and overwhelmed.

What should I tell her when she arrives? How do I properly reject her without hurting her? What do I do if it's a classmate? What if it's not even someone in the grade?

I pulled out the neatly folded letter from the envelope again. It said that she wanted to meet me behind the school building at 6pm the next day. And it said to come alone.

A calm, smooth voice interrupted my thoughts.

"It looks like my kouhai is becoming quite famous. A seat in the council, and a love letter already?"

I turned to look at the woman sitting on the bench. With her long platinum silver hair, a striking headband and voluptuous figure, she would entrance anyone in that sweet aura sphere of hers. I unconsciously found myself drawn to her position.

"Good evening, Kiryuin-senpai," I said. "Mind if I take a seat?"

"Not at all. I would have offered you the seat if you hadn't already asked," she replied, and she scooted over to the side. I plopped myself down next to the beauty.

"I'm in a quite a fix, senpai," I said, and I stretched back in the bench. "I've never been confessed to before, so I'm not sure how to handle this without hurting the girl."

"Without hurting the girl? Do you want to go out with her, kouhai?" she asked me, as she trimmed her nails.

"Not really," I replied honestly. "I'm not interested in dating anyone right now."

"You're against the concept?"

"No, not at all. I want to a girlfriend like any other healthy teenage boy. But I don't want to go out with someone who I'm not acquainted with."

"What if the person who's confessing to you is someone you're acquainted with? What will you do then?" she smirked. Damn. She really knows how to press your buttons.

"I... don't know," I shrugged. "I don't even know what to do if it's someone I don't know. What if I screw something up? What if I hurt her and make her feel really bad?"

"You're overthinking it, Takeyama," she sighed. "Honestly. I would never have expected someone like you to come and get romantic advice. I can't believe you've never been confessed to before. What, were you some sort of idiot back in middle school?"

"Quite the contrary, senpai. I've always been this amazing," I joked.

"And yet this multipurpose man is sweating buckets over a pink colored letter," she sassed. "Tell me one thing — you're not interested in dating anyone. You haven't found the girl you're looking for either. Then why are you so tensed? Just be natural and reject her. Trust me. Even though I don't look like someone who would go confess their feelings to someone, it makes it easier for the girl if you give your honest opinion."

"Honest opinion, eh?" I murmured out loud. "So I'll just say that I'm not ready for a relationship yet?"

"That's the only thing you should say," Kiryuin-senpai replied. "Never play around with a girl's heart, kouhai. They're quite fragile. One wrong thing can make things very ugly."

I shuddered at the thought. "You didn't have to be so direct about it, senpai. I think my ability to interact with the opposite sex has just plummeted."

Kiryuin-senpai let out a small chuckle, and stood up from the bench. "Well, it's getting quite boring on this bench, right? Wanna take a walk around?"

"That's what I was here for, so I'm game," I said, and I stood up as well. "Thank you for your advice, senpai. I have a clearer image as to what to say now."

"Don't mention it. There are much more pressing matters in hand, after all," she said. "You know very well what I'm talking about."

"... is it about Nagumo?" I asked with a tone of exasperation. Thinking about Nagumo made my head hurt.

"Indeed. It looks like you've already lost all respect for him," she said cheekily, as she hinted over the missing 'senpai' from his name. "But I wouldn't have expected anything less from you. I'm surprised you even respected him all this while."

"I didn't exactly respect him, he's just intriguing," I said. "His ideals are extremely boring. I understand that it's going to bring about quite a change in the school, though. So I wouldn't mind letting him do his thing."

"Do his thing, eh? Does that mean you had something else in mind, perhaps? To not allow him to do his thing?" Kiryuin-senpai suddenly asked me. I must mind my words. She had caught onto such a subtle hint in my speech and deciphered that there must be some other thoughts that I harbor against Nagumo.

"I won't hide anything from you, senpai," I sighed. "I've been approached by a student of your class, Ikuto Kiriyama. He asked me whose side I was on."

"Kiriyama, eh? He idolizes Manabu to quite a disturbing extent," she said, as though reciting the bad manners of a child. "It's not surprising that he approached the current talk of the school to garner his support."

"Wait... current talk of the school?"

"You don't know? You've become quite famous in the second-year. You almost beat Nagumo in a pool volleyball match. You thoroughly massacred him in the Sports Festival. And now you've joined the Council by his side. You're pretty much the hottest topic in the entire school."

"... that's a bit unnerving to know," I replied.

"Well, you reap what you sow," she replied nonchalantly. "You've pulled off a number of public stunts. It's high-time the school noticed you."

I stayed silent at her analysis. I was again reminded that during the pool volleyball match, Kiriyama had lunged at me and prevented me from scoring the equalizer point. It made sense now.

He did it on Horikita-senpai's orders.

He wanted me to maintain a low profile. He wanted me to lose the match against Nagumo so that I don't make an enemy out of all the second-years. In the more likely case that I had won, Nagumo's reputation would have taken a huge tumble, but his social standing wouldn't have dropped in the slightest.

In other words, I would have unnecessarily garnered his wrath without moving him even an inch from his current position. It's like angering a lion by throwing a paper ball at it. It doesn't hurt him in the slightest, but it poses a far greater danger to you now.

"By the way, have you always had those piercings?"

I unconsciously moved my left hand over my ear. I remember getting these nasty holes. Daisuke-san was fanboying over some sort of 'new trend' for guys in the market, and he pretty much forced me to make 2 piercings per ear. He was bent on getting me one on my nose and mouth as well, but I managed to dodge that bullet.

It would hurt him to know that I never used these piercings. And since these suckers close up when not used for a while, it would be fairly obvious when I leave school that I had never used them.

So just to, you know, honor my butler, I decorate these things with studs when I'm alone in my room. Of course, no one has seen my piercings before, let alone my earrings.

"I got them before attending high school," I replied. "I don't use them in class. I'm pretty sure it's not allowed."

"Not allowed? I know it's allowed. It's just that you don't want to look like a delinquent," she replied without a hint of hesitance. "But I think it would suit you. Maybe you should wear those more often."

"I don't know, maybe," I replied airily. "I usually let my hair down in class, so I don't think anyone has seen it before. Or maybe they have, and they're not telling me anything about it?"

"Class D brats."

"No kidding."

"Beautiful weather, is it not?"

I turned to look at senpai. She was enjoying the cool breeze flowing through the mid-fall air.

Forgetting all my troubles like the senior next to me, I closed my eyes as well and enjoyed the paradise while it lasted.

Chapter 40.5 - Confession

School day was very normal. After switching my indoor shoes with my outdoor ones, I made my outside to head to back to my room. I glanced at my wristwatch.

It was 4:40pm. In another one hour and 20 minutes, I would be confronted with my first ever highschool confession.

Chiaki already knew about this, since she was the one who had warned me for the first time in the Sports Festival.

However, she was very silent today. I noticed she was being a bit fidgety around me. I assumed it was probably 'that time' of the month for her, so I didn't do anything that would irk her or ruin her mood. Maybe I could give her chocolates or something? No, that was too intimate of a gesture.

She'll be back to normal soon. Nothing to worry about. If she doesn't, then I'll make sure she does.

I whiled away time in my room by laying down on my bed. Like the delinquent that I am, I put on 2 of those small earring studs that are practically invisible if you don't look closely.

I set a mental alarm to wake up within an hour and I drifted off into sweet slumber.

* ~ ~ *

"Stop, it's Sunday..."

I slowly opened my eyes. I was on my side, and facing the wall. I stared at the white wall for a few minutes until my drowsiness wore off.

I blinked twice. Thrice. I forced my eyelids open, closed them again, and then opened them again.

I managed to get out of my bed, but I tripped on the blanket and fell off the bed.

"Goddamn it..." Remind me to never fall asleep again in the evening.

I picked myself up and hoisted myself on the chair. I snatched my mobile phone on my desk and turned on the lock screen.

5:56 pm

"Oh my god..."

I stumbled into the washroom. I had 4 minutes to reach the school building. Even on a normal school day, it takes me about 10 minutes to walk all the way to the building. If I ran, I would probably reach in about 3-4 minutes.

I hastily put on my hoodie and sweatpants, and snatched my room key. I ricocheted off the main door, and ran down the stairs. I could not afford to waste any time in the elevator.

I dashed out into the lobby, and almost ran smack into Horikita. I dodged her last moment.

"T-Takeyama-kun!?" she stuttered out, as she watched me dash out.

"Sorry, next time!" I screeched, as I ran through the cool autumn evening. After about a minute, I slowed down. There was no point reaching the place drenched in sweat or with speedy breath. It was alright for me to reach a little late — I'm not the one doing the confessing after all.

I reached the school building at 6:01pm, just a minute after the meeting time. I slowed down to a slow walk, and I turned the corner around the building, to the back.

No one was there.

"Great, absolutely great... I ran all the way here for nothing..."

I plopped myself against the wall and closed my eyes. So now I need to wait for her to come?

A scary thought entered my mind. What if this was a prank by some guy in my class? No, that can't be. Chiaki had mentioned that someone would confess. It's definitely not a prank.

I slowly felt a foreign presence to my left, coming from just around the corner. I readied myself for my first ever highschool accomplishment.

A girl with blonde hair emerged from the shadows. In the background of the sweltering evening sun, I had to squint my eyes to avoid them from spazzing out due to the brightness. She was of an average height, and had a pretty face.

I remembered her.

This was Ryoko Nishikawa, from Class A. I remember her and her friend from the Cruise Ship. We haven't even talked all that much. She was going to confess to me?

She looked very fidgety, and she immediately noticed my presence. She panicked a bit, but took a deep breath, and continued to walk forward. I mentally applauded her bravery.

She shyly approached me, and then widened her eyes as she looked at me.

Wait, did I look that bad with a light bedhead? She stared at me with her eyes wide, and her mouth unconsciously fell open.

Oh god.

Did she send the letter to the wrong person?

Why is she staring at me like that? It's getting quite uncomfortable. I cleared my throat.

"Ahem... Nishikawa-san, was it?"

The girl snapped out of her otherworldly trance. "Y-y-yes, Takeyama-kun! I'm sorry. I'm g-glad you received my letter. I thought you wouldn't come." She let out a slightly self-deprecating laugh.

"No, not at all," I smiled. "I would definitely come."

"Yes, so, umm..." She slowly shifted her sight from my face, and she stared down at the ground. She nervously stumbled upon her words.

"I... I like you, Takeyama-kun! Please go out with me!"

There.

She said it.

My first ever highschool confession.

But I had already rehearsed my answer.

"I appreciate your courage, Nishikawa-san," I soothed. "But I'm sorry."

The last bit of hope she had left her face, and she slowly clutched onto the helm of her skirt. I felt really bad doing this. I made myself out to be the villain here.

"I'm sorry, Nishikawa-san, but I'm not ready for a relationship yet. As a Class Leader, I have many responsibilities to lead my class. It would be bad if I were to go out with someone from Class A. It would crumble the unity that has been established in our Class. I hope you understand."

"I-I... understand, Takeyama-kun. I'm s-s-sorry I put you in a t-tough spot," she managed to blurt out. Her eyes were getting wet, and she was trying her best to hold back her tears.

"Please don't worry about it. I hope nothing changes between us, Nishikawa-san."

"Y-yes. I... I'll g-get going now. Thank you f-for coming, Takeyama-kun." The girl turned on her heels and ran back the way she came, and I was left alone in the sunset. I sighed, and made my way out from behind the building. She was there along with a group of her friends, who were consoling her. She had finally broken down.

I did not want to deal with the awkwardness of running into them, so I headed back the way I came, and decided to go around the building back to the dormitory. It would be a longer route, but it was not worth running into a heartbroken girl. Especially when the reason for heartbreak is yours truly.

I trotted back along the back and returned to the dormitories. I had passed only one or two people from the entire school on the way back, but they were all staring at me with wide eyes. The guys scooted a bit away from me, while the girls were a blushing mess.

I don't understand; is there something stuck on my face?

I crashed back into my room. Before I could even close the door, a foot stuck itself between the door and the hinges.

"We need to talk," Horikita said, as she flung open the door and invited herself into my room without a second thought.

"Woah, calm down," I said hastily. I closed the door and turned back in. "What is it?"

"Where did you go?" Straight to the point, eh?

"In simple words, I went out to reject a girl."

"Reject a girl? Who was it?"

"Wait, I don't think I'm allowed to tell you that," I raised my hands in front of me in a form of self-defense. "Gotta respect that privacy."

"Do you want me to stab you?"

"Ryoko Nishikawa, Class 1-A. Blonde hair up to her waist, around 5'4'', Sakayanagi Faction."

Horikita narrowed her eyes. "How are you even acquainted with her?"

"Why are you even asking me this!?" I threw my hands up in defeat. "We just met once on the Cruise Ship last month. And now she confessed to me."

"You...you rejected her, right?"

I turned to look at Horikita. From a layman's point of view, she was a calm, collected and cold individual who always views the world with facts and logic.

However, in the short time that I've known her for, I've understood a lot about this person. Her behavior, her habits, her characteristics.

Right now, even though it is not visible, Horikita was nervous.

Whenever she's nervous, she unconsciously folds her toes in and out. And that was what she was doing right now. She thinks that she can hide her expressions from me. What a novice.

"I did," I said. "I'm not going to go out with someone from Class A. I've got a role to fulfil."

"R-right," she said, and Horikita released an involuntary breath that she had been holding in. She immediately stood up, and made a beeline towards the door. "Well, that's all I wanted to ask. I'll be leaving now. Good night."

"You can't stay for a while? Tea? Coffee? Hot chocolate? Earl Grey? Oolong? Black Tea? Indian coffee? Cappucin--"

"Stop."

"So you're going?"

"... black tea."

I smirked to myself, and received a scowl from Horikita. She sat down back on my bed, and I headed into the kitchen to place the kettle.

"By the way, is that a new style?"

"What new style?" I asked her innocently.

"Your face. Why did you do that?" she asked.

"What do you mean? What's wrong with it? I don't understand, why is everyone looking at me like I'm The Grinch? Even Nishikawa-san was staring at me like some sort of lost caus--"

"Piercings."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

" Fuck."

A/N's:

Heheh Keisuke caught in 4K.

Chapter 41 - The Negotiator

School had become quite boring now. Chabashira-sensei walked into the class at the stroke of the bell, and left at the stroke of the bell. She did not say anything that was not related to the class, nor was she interested in making small talk with any of the students.

Her cold demeanor meant that she came off as an extremely strict teacher to everyone in class. However, only Kiyotaka and I had actually been directly approached by this teacher. And we were the only ones who were at danger of being expelled unless we helped the class in its rise and ascension to Class A.

After the last bell, I left the classroom a bit earlier after waving Chiaki and Yosuke goodbye. Chiaki had again reverted back to her old cheerful mood the next day. What's with these girls? I genuinely can't understand them. I thought periods lasted longer? It's been like a day.

I reached the corridor, but instead of taking a right towards the staircase, I took a left towards the side landing, and made my way up the steps to the north side of the third floor.

I turned the last corner and arrived at the Faculty Room.

I knocked on the closed door twice.

Fortunately, it was opened directly by Chabashira-sensei. It would have led to a very unproductive wastage of time in the scenario that Hoshinomiya-sensei had chosen to open the door instead. I still shuddered at the thought of that overly-friendly teacher. Where does she get all that energy? I'm pretty sure that I smelled alcohol in her breath the last time I was stuck with her in the Faculty Room.

I was almost violated by her! She was drawing her fingers across my chest and stuff, and marveling at my muscles. I don't even wanna think about what would have happened if Chabashira-sensei hadn't arrived then and whacked her on the head with her clipboard. Thanks, Sae-chan. I owe you one.

"Come inside," was Chabashira-sensei's crisp reply, and I entered the Room and closed the door behind me. I followed her into her own little cubicle, and I proceeded to close the door behind me again, to minimize chances of being overheard.

"Why did you call me here?" I got straight to the point.

Chabashira-sensei did not respond. Instead, she simply tapped her finger on the desk. "Shouldn't you be placing something on this desk right here, Takeyama?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"You're recording this conversation, are you not? Place your mobile phone here."

"I'm not recording anything."

"Prove it to me. Keep your mobile phone here."

"I don't think that will be necessary. I like to hold onto my own items," I dismissed her.

"You will keep your phone here, Keisuke Takeyama, or I'll have you expelled from ANHS."

"... tch."

I was forcefully made to comply along with this vixen's orders. As long as I cannot dismiss the fact that she truly does have the power to expel me from this school, I cannot make any stupid mistakes here.

I slowly took out Kiyotaka's mobile phone, and placed it on her desk. She wordlessly turned off the recorder that I had started before entering the Room.

"Shall we start now, then?" I asked exasperatedly. "I'm keeping my friends waiting."

She still did not respond.

"Come on. What, we're playing Charades now? I don't have all day, sensei."

"Place the other mobile phone here."

"... I have only one."

"If you do not place your second phone here in the next 5 seconds, I'll expel you."

I slowly let out a soft smile, and chuckled a bit to myself. Chabashira-sensei narrowed her eyes.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing, nothing at all. It's just that this is going much better than I expected it to," I said. I casually took out the other mobile phone. My own mobile phone. I quickly stopped the recording in front of sensei.

She reached out with her hand to grab my phone, but I swiftly grabbed her wrist and pinned it against the wall. She let out an audible gasp. We stared at each other for a few seconds.

"You've taken it quite far, Takeyama," sensei said, as her slender, delicate wrists struggled against my powerful grip. "I believe this comes under harassment — a student manhandling a teacher."

"I guess that did go too far," I said apologetically. But I did not release my grip on her hands. With my free right hand, I sent out whatever had been recorded as an attachment to Kiyotaka's personal messages from my own mobile phone. Sensei watched me message an almost useless recording to his phone. Kiyotaka's phone buzzed alive on the desk, signaling the arrival of my message. I wordlessly released my grip on the teacher.

"I believe you are mistaken if you think that recording me will help you blackmail me in any way," she replied, as she took her seat, massaging her wrist. "I'll have you delete this recording right now, you know?"

"But that's exactly why I messaged the recording to Ayanokoji, right?" I said, as a small smile crept up on my face.

Chabashira-sensei raised her eyebrows. Nevertheless, I could sense the discomfort that she was currently in. "I would like you to explain what you mean by that, Takeyama."

"A personal chat between me and Ayanokoji. All messages are sent via an information tunnel, and everything gets stored on servers. In other words," I waved my phone in front of her face. "There's no point in deleting the recording from my phone now. It's already left a digital footprint in our personal chat. Even if you erase it from the phone's memory, and even clear out and delete all chat history between Ayanokoji and I, you won't be able to remove the trace of the recording.
In other words, I've permanently created a place for it in a server. I can recover it anytime I want to by informing the school authorities."

Chabashira-sensei remained quiet throughout my explanation. "But what's your motive? You cannot do anything with that recording. It does not possess any useful information at all."

"Does it, now? Indeed, if I wanted to blackmail you with this recording, I couldn't. It does not hold any real value. But have you ever wondered how much value this would hold if presented to the school?"

For the first time in the meeting, Chabashira-sensei shifted uncomfortably in her chair, and she pensively stared at my figure.

I sighed, and played back the recording.

*

"Shall we start now, then? I'm keeping my friends waiting."

*silence*

"Come on. What, we're playing Charades now? I don't have all day, sensei."

"Place the other mobile phone here."

"... I have only one."

"If you do not place your second phone here in the next 5 seconds, I'll expel you."

*a small laugh*

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing, nothing at all. It's just that this is going much better than I expected it to"

*

"Do you understand what I mean, sensei~~?" I asked her in a playful voice, and I leaned in closer to her pretty face.

"..."

"I'll explain. In this recording, you're threatening to expel a student if he does not hand over his personal belonging, namely his mobile phone. I can turn this in to the authorities and get a clear view on whether you even hold the power to expel me or not. If you do, well, then there's nothing I can do about it. I'll comply and listen to your demands. But in the case you don't, I have very useful leverage in my hands right now."

Chabashira-sensei kept quiet throughout my explanation. Surely she wouldn't have thought of this before — a situation where your own authorities are being confirmed by someone who is leagues below you on the administrative ladder.

"So, sensei, what will you do now? If you really can expel me, then this recording shouldn't be of any harm to you, am I right?"

Sensei cowered under my imposing figure. I had already confirmed my suspicions from her meek reaction — sensei does not have the authority to expel me at her own whim. She wouldn't have stayed silent for so long if she did have a back-up plan.

Also, I had dismissed the possibility of sensei herself recording this conversation right now on her phone. It would serve no purpose to her. I was already under her control when she said that she had the power to expel me. A recording of a teacher threatening a student on a teacher's mobile phone would only invite more trouble.

"Sensei~~ you can't stay quiet for so long now~~"

"What do you want?" she said forcefully. Or she thought she did. Right now, sensei's voice was trembling. She knew that she had no cards to play anymore.

"I don't want anything. I don't plan on sending this to the school. At the end, you're my teacher. As a student, I want to give you the respect that you deserve."

She looked at me questioningly, and slowly regained her calmness.

"You're quite the problem child, Takeyama," she said with an air of superiority. Crazy how easily people can change their stance if their position is threatened.

"Am I? I'm only doing what I can to protect myself. I think it comes under self-defense," I said airily. "Don't worry, by the way. It's not like I'm going to stop leading Class D. I will continue to serve as the Leader."

She sighed. "I already know that. It's Ayanokoji I'm skeptical about. His abilities are wasted. Even though I dare to say that your abilities alone are enough to reach Class A, it will be much easier if he helped you along as well."

"It's amusing, I guess? I wouldn't have taken up the mantle of Leader either if it weren't for your threats. But now I'm seeing that I enjoy the view from up here," I said figuratively. "It gives me a different kind of joy and satisfaction to watch the other Classes lose back to back against us."

"You sound like such a sadist. I've been blessed with such insane kids this time," she said, and she rested her cheeks on her hand.

"Say, sensei?"

"What is it?"

"Why are you so hell-bent on reaching Class A?" I asked. "Does a Class A teacher get more salary or something?"

"I thought you would have the basic etiquette to not ask an adult their salary, but it seems I was mistaken," she said.

"And I thought you would have the basic etiquette to not threaten a student with expulsion," I remarked with sarcasm. She flinched a bit. "Come on, I'm not asking anything out-of-the-box here. I'm genuinely curious."

"It's nothing important; you could say it's a mere unfulfilled whimsical wish of a child," she sighed. "I've told you before, haven't I? I was once in Class D as well."

"I remember you said that. But weren't all the classes back then in some sort of four-way war? The Class Points were very closely tied up if I remember correctly."

"It indeed was. In my second semester of my Third Year, we were Class C. We had a certain Special Exam, and there was a good chance of us graduating from Class A. But because of a mistake from my end, I messed up. I ruined my entire class's chances of reaching Class A. I've ruined the life of 40 odd people in that Class."

"... that does sound really bad. I'm sorry you had to dig that up for me."

"It's alright; I must do at least this much to compensate for the damage that I've caused to you," she replied indifferently. "I thought you had friends waiting? You can go ahead and leave if you want to."

"It's alright, I can always talk to them later," I said. "I just said that as a method to get you to spill the beans faster. Now that you have, I'm in no hurry to leave."

"You're planning to lounge around in the Faculty Office with a teacher?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Woah, sensei, do you mind telling me what you were thinking about?"

"... you're incorrigible. What topic do we even have in common that you want to talk to me about?"

I shrugged. "I don't really know. Besides, aren't you supposed to serve your guest something to eat or drink when they come by?"

Saying so, I headed into the small kitchenette attached with the staff room. Very handy indeed. "Black tea is fine?"

"... suit yourself."

I smiled to myself, and placed the kettle on the stove to heat the water. "Say, sensei, don't you think teachers in Japan are kinda undervalued?"

"Where did that come from?" she asked me with a surprised expression.

"It's nothing, really. I just think that educators are not given enough credit. A teacher is one of the most important jobs in the entire world — they train the young generation to stand up on their own and lead the human race into the future."

"I think you are correct. Teachers indeed are the cornerstones of modern civilization. Without us, students would be nowhere. We train younglings to become and survive as global citizens," she replied. "Why do you ask?"

"It's because I feel that teachers in this school should be given the authority to expel students, as long as circumstantial evidence is provided. I feel it is extremely disrespectful and derogatory to teachers that they aren't allowed to be the last person to take the decision. Take Sudo's case, for example. The Student Council was the body that presided over the trial. Even though you, Chabashira-sensei, and even Sakagami-sensei from Class C had valid points and statements, they were shut down by the President without hesitation."

"You're being rather talkative today. So in your opinion, Sakagami's points should have been upheld with respect in the Council, even if he were fabricating false evidence?"

"That depends on perspective. Sakagami-sensei was not aware of the trick that Ryuuen and his men pulled off. But none of his points were invalid. None of them were lies; they were all the truth. Somehow, I realized that day that even though you guys are teachers, people who shape society's future, you're completely undermined in the name of 'education'. Tell me — what was the reason for the trial to be held in the Student Council Room?"

"No reason at all, in fact. The school attributes this to the theme that students must learn to handle their own issues. That is the reason the Student Council was tasked with resolving matters involving students. There is no other reason."

"But shutting down and stripping teachers off their rights and opinions, in the name of 'educating' students is by far, a very ineffective method of teaching. It's unfair."

Sensei smiled a bit at my remark.

"But that is the nuance of Japanese society, is it not? I would not comment on any other country, because I don't know myself. Japanese society is unfair. The people who deserve the credit don't get it, and those who don't deserve it are thrown into the limelight. The rich are favored over the poor. The poor are taxed as much as the rich are. No one minds when a millionaire forgets to pay his taxes, but everyone goes crazy when a struggling bachelor is unable to pay his taxes. Good-natured people are often the victims of threats and abuse, even when everyone is well aware that it is wrong. But that's how it is. This world is unfair."

"But isn't it strange that we accept the world as it is?" I said. The kettle blew over some steam, and I put in the tea leaves and turned off the gas. "We don't mind. As long as we aren't the victims, we don't care. We don't complain about our neighbor's problems. We don't say anything when a colleague who's worked as hard as you does not get a promotion, even though you do. Humans are selfish creatures. As long as it does not hurt us, we do not mind hurting others."

The tea leaves had released enough flavor into the boiling water, and I strained the drink into 2 exquisite black mugs. I placed one cup in front of sensei, and she mouthed an audible 'thank you' at my direction.

The two of us peacefully sipped the warm liquid. I smiled slightly at the delightful bitter taste. Maybe I should become a barista when I graduate.

If I graduate, that is.

"Has that man contacted you, sensei?" I asked with a neutral tone, as I sipped my tea.

Chabashira-sensei flinched at my impromptu question. She had never disclosed anything about Ayanokoji-sensei before to me. Currently, she was in an internal turmoil.

When she forced me to aim for Class A, she threatened me plainly with words, saying that she will expel me if I do not heed her advice. Of course, that was not possible. She cannot possibly expel me without a legitimate reason.

However, Kiyotaka had told me that she had used his father as a bargaining chip to coerce Kiyotaka into helping the class during the island exam. But Chabashira-sensei was not aware of the connections and past that Kiyotaka and I share. The past that linked both of us back to Ayanokoji-sensei.

"So Ayanokoji told you about it," Chabashira-sensei sighed. "I figure I cannot lie to you anymore. You've completely destroyed the system that I had created to keep the 2 of you under my control. Instead, I'm under the control of a mere student now. It's pathetic." She laughed a bit in self-deprecation.

"I don't plan to threaten you, sensei," I soothed. "I just don't want to be used. I'm the type to forgive and forget. We can have a healthy, platonic student-teacher relationship. But I'm not sure about Kiyotaka."

"You've turned out to be much more merciful than I imagined. I'm genuinely grateful, Takeyama. You've backed out of a potential opportunity to get rid of me once and for all, and you continue to view me in positive light. I wonder if it is all an act?"

"That was rude, sensei. I'm being nice here, you know."

"Haha, sorry about that. But no, he hasn't contacted the school. Yet." She emphasized on the last word.

"I see. Well, I guess I probably need to head out now. Thank you for having me over, sensei," I respectfully bowed in her direction.

"That's alright. You must get a move on. It's become quite late."

I slid open the door to her private office, and entered the lobby of the Faculty Room. Before I left the Faculty Room, I turned around and faced sensei one last time.

"Sensei, can I ask for your cooperation and protection while Kiyotaka and I stay in this school?"

She paused her steps, and looked at me straight in the eye. Neither of us backed down our vision.

She closed her eyes and let out a sigh.

"I believe I can protect you from harm, Takeyama. But I cannot guarantee Ayanokoji's safety. That man is his father, after all. Even I must back down when it comes to familial issues. But as long as you're not officially related to that man, I can assure you that I will protect you with all my power."

"Thank you, sensei."

She let out a soft smile. "Off you go."

A/N's:

Sorry for the late update, couldn't write anything cuz I was bummed out after New Year's :)

Thanks for reading! Cheers.

SS.4 - Siding With The Winner (Masayoshi Hashimoto)

I stared out of the window as Mashima-sensei continued to drone on about differential equations. This stuff was quite easy, and it appalled me to know that there were a few students even in Class A who were unfamiliar with such concepts beforehand. I sometimes question the school's decision to group such retards in Class A along with us elites.

Take Totsuka Yahiko, for example. The literal definition of useless. The epitome of failure. The disgrace of mankind. His entire existence and life's motto is aimed at being Katsuragi's dog. He sticks to the baldie like a bunch of wart plasters. I've noticed even Katsuragi get annoyed at his only follower. It must be tough when your only ally is someone incapable of even supporting themselves.

And then there are certain elites in the Class, such as Sakayanagi Arisu. Her physical abilities may be completely null considering her disability, but she makes up more than that in terms of intelligence and academic capability. Notice how I did not corelate intelligence to academic ability. They're not the same. Academic success is the power to score well in school-related tests. Intelligence is how you apply your knowledge, experience and wisdom in real-world situations, and get out of it unscathed.

There are several other students as well. Hayato Kito, Miki Yamamura, Kamuro Masumi. Students who live up to the expectations of a worthy Class A student. The school definitely did justice to them by placing them in Class A. It applies to me too, to an extent. But I don't want to come off as narcissistic, so I omitted my name. But I believe I deserve to be in Class A.

Just as the school has done justice by placing superior students in higher classes, the school has also lived up to its sorting system and placed inferior, defective students in lower classes.

But the negation holds true as well.

There are students who are worthy of being in a much higher class, but were placed in a lower class by the school.

And the most apt definition of this unfair treatment would be Keisuke Takeyama, the cunning Leader of Class 1-D.

I've thought about this pretty hard before. As much as I try, I cannot figure out what his flaw is. He's academically gifted, physically fit, and is popular in his social circle. His attitude and mindset are polite and open respectively.

Then why?

Why was a talented man such as him not placed in a higher class? It would have been acceptable if he were in Class B, but Class D? The lowest of the low? It seemed a tad bit unfair to me.

No one in the entire school year had ever imagined that he would prove himself to be one of the main contenders for Class A. Sometimes, I feel that he was placed into Class D just so that the defects won't wither and die out sooner. He's the only reason they're even alive in this battle.

I don't have much intel on Keisuke Takeyama. We're fairly acquainted, when we had met and were placed in the Snake Group for the Zodiac Exam. At first glance, he looked to be an easygoing, calm and collected individual, with a good level of intellect. He left a good first impression on me and pretty much all the girls in the entire grade.

But it was in the Sports Festival that he revealed his true colors.

Before the Festival, he openly announced and took control of all class proceedings, and proclaimed himself as the Leader of Class 1-D. And that was where things started to look bad for the other classes.

He singlehandedly destroyed all opposition in the Sports Festival. He consistently took first place in almost all events that he took part in. He beat Ryuuen at his own game. He berated Katsuragi in front of the entirety of Class A and sealed Sakayanagi's position as the true Class Leader. He led Class D to complete victory in the Sports Festival, the only Class that did not lose any points throughout.

I sometimes wonder whether he thinks everything through before executing his plans. Did he not realize that downgrading Katsuragi, the weaker Leader in Class A, would inevitably become a pain in the long run for Class D? It would have been in the best interests of all other classes to let Katsuragi continue being the Leader. He had unintentionally pulled the Queen herself out onto the arena.

But a part of me realizes that there's no way such an individual would have made such a trivial mistake in his decisions. Such lapse of judgement is rudimentary, at best. Even Sakayanagi herself is wary of him. In just 4 months, he has catapulted Class D onto the brink of promotion, something that no other class has been able to manage in the history of the school. And he did it in 4 months.

He's extremely dangerous. He's shrewd. His calculative nature and abilities are no joke. He's someone who knows when to play his cards, when to fold, when to attack, and when to defend. It would be a shame if Class A made an enemy out of that Demon.

But as long as I don't remain an enemy, I should be fine. Granted, I'm still a part of Class A, but ensuring your safety first is critical before ensuring the safety of others.

I must get onto his good side.

I must be willing to side along with the winner.

If I have to, I need to make a deal with the devil himself.

A/N's:

Here's a heads up. In case you guys haven't read Y2V5, then there are minor spoilers in the next chapter. It's nothing drastic that would completely ruin the light novel or anything, but it is what it is.

*Proceed With Caution*
*You Have Been Warned*

Chapter 42 - Striking Gold

*
There are light spoilers for Y2V5 here. You've been warned.
Chapter 42 LMAO.
*

The Class was enveloped in a queer silence. The atmosphere was heavy. Today was the day that our Midterm results were going to be announced.

Of course, I wasn't worried. I was more concerned about certain others like Ike, Yamauchi and Sudo. Or maybe not Sudo. I had been informed by Horikita that Sudo was diligently focusing on academics when Horikita was teaching him herself. I guess I needed to applaud her commitment towards tutoring Sudo. I know that I would have given up already if I were in her place.

I had a bit of fun with this test though. Way to go to attract more attention onto myself. I wanted to focus the limelight on me, not because I am an attention-hungry weirdo, but because I wanted to remove any unwanted attention from Kiyotaka. By attracting all the attention onto myself, I could possibly create a bigger shadow for Kiyotaka to work alongside me from.

At the stroke of the bell, our ever-punctual teacher walked in to the class, and quickly gauged the intense atmosphere in the class. For a split second, she glanced in my direction, but quickly turned her head away to face the class. How sweet.

"It seems you all are quite prepared for this already," she breathed out.

"Because today's the day our results are gonna be announced, right?" Ike said in a low tone, and the class immediately gulped under the serious pressure.

"Exactly. And anyone who fails will be immediately expelled from the school. You'll be asked to pack your bags and leave. Now, I don't think I should be wasting anymore time. I'll put up the individual scores. Read them carefully."

"Sensei, what's the passing score this time?" Yosuke asked this question from his seat.

"43 marks. It's quite a fabulous score, if I may say. I reckon that there is a student in this class who has singlehandedly raised the average by 3 marks," sensei said airily. Way to go, sensei. You just painted me out as a villain.

"Huh? If I get expelled because of that shit then I'll actually pummel that person," Sudo barked from the last seat. Did that meathead actually buy that explanation?

Sensei did not waste anymore time and hung up the chart displaying all the names and scores of students. There was absolutely no privacy. Everyone's scores are out in the open like a makeshift garage sale.

"Huh?"

"Woah..."

"No way..."

Chiaki turned and incredulously looked at me. So did the rest of the class.

"You're actually crazy, you know that?"

*

Midterm Results; Class 1-D; Semester 2

1. Takeyama Keisuke — 99 99 99 99 99
2. Kouenji Rokusuke — 97 98 92 93 95
3. Yukimura Teruhiko — 91 92 94 93 94
4. Horikita Suzune — 89 87 92 92 90 . . 17. Ayanokoji Kiyotaka — 71 76 71 75 76 . 39. Ike Kanji — 49 45 51 47 50
40. Yamauchi Haruki — 43 45 43 44 47

*

The scores were printed on the hanging chart, and Chabashira-sensei tapped her pointed heels on the raised podium. The din immediately subsided.

"As you can see, there were no expellees this time around," sensei said. "But quite a few of you had a very close brush." Ike and Yamauchi gulped. "If you do not improve your academics, then it will become a point of major concern for the class and for yourself."

"That'll conclude homeroom for today." Saying so, the pretty teacher exited the class, leaving the results hanging on the blackboard.

As soon as sensei left, the class descended into frantic whispering. But Yamauchi plainly shouted out to me in the middle of the classroom.

"Oi, Takeyama?! What's the meaning of this!? How could you increase your score so much without thinking about the others!? You could have gotten over 2 people expelled today!" he ranted in an inconceivable stupid language. The rest of the class glared at his pointless form.

"I don't think I've done anything drastic," I said coolly. "This is what my scores are usually like. It's not like the class average is high because of me. There are several students who have scored in the 90-mark range."

"But that means you've been holding back this entire time!" he shouted. "You've been intentionally dragging the class down!"

"Haruki, calm down!" Ike yelled into his friend's ear. "You shouldn't say that!"

"Oi, Haruki, what do you mean when you say he's been holding back?" Sudo snorted. "He's leading our entire class for god's sake. He's the reason we've even got this close to Class C in the first place."

"Ken, Kanji, you guys too!? You guys were also almost on the verge of failing because of that brat! I'm just saying what is right because others are too scared to talk back to Mr. Pretty Boy!" Yamauchi shouted. Ok bro, you're crossing the limit.

"Verge of failing?" Sudo bellowed. "You gotta check the chart before you jump to conclusions, Haruki."

"What do you mea--" Yamauchi tore his gaze away from the redhead and furiously read through the chart bottom-up. "Wait, you're..."

Sudo had made significant improvement since his last midterm. He had crossed out of the last 10 of class, and was currently in the 28th position in the class. His average bordered just around the 60 marks. He had surely come a long way since almost being expelled 2 months back.

"The hell? How can I score even lower than Ken?" he wondered out loud. "Oi Takeyama, you've got something against me, don't you? You've purposely increased your score even though you knew that there are students who are in danger of failing. You're trying to get rid of us!"

"Yamauchi-kun, I think you should think before you speak," a calm, cold voice enveloped the already uncomfortable atmosphere in the room. The entire class turned to look at the black-haired beauty speak up from the last bench.

"Takeyama-kun has been an extremely valuable asset to our class. He has successfully pulled off several strategies that he came up with on his own to help the class. He's even dealing with the likes of you, who have done nothing but been baggage throughout the entire time. You should be thankful that Takeyama still even cares to protect you guys."

"Yeah, Horikita-san is absolutely right!" an unexpected voice rang out from the front row. A girl with a long, blonde ponytail and — a shorter skirt? — said. "Takeyama-kun has always done his best to contribute to the class! You haven't done anything appealing, by the way, Yamauchi-kun. You've just dragged the class down."

Since the leader of the girl's cliché Kei Karuizawa had spoken up, I had unintentionally gained the support of pretty much all the girls in the class. But that would have been beneficial only if I were unpopular among the girls. Since that isn't the case, I would have gotten their support anyways, whether Karuizawa had spoken up or not.

But it was good that she had. I surreptitiously glanced at Ayanokoji, and he had a bored expression on his face. Was he controlling Karuizawa and asking her to rally support in my favor? That could possibly be the case.

"Hah! You act like you've done a lot for the class, Karuizawa-san!" Yamauchi did not back down. "You're just as much as a burden as I am, maybe even more!"

Ok now I really wanna punch him.

"That's enough, Yamauchi-kun," I stood up from my seat. "Maybe you should focus on studying if you're on the verge of failing. Sudo-kun has realized his own flaws and has come a long way. He's not the same Sudo as 2 months back. But you're not even trying to change. I can still help you. If you have any issues in your academics, I will personally tutor you."

Yamauchi, instead of being grateful of my statement and ashamed of his, continued to bicker. "Personally tutor me? Like I'd let that happen! I'm doing fine on my own! I don't need your stupid guidance!"

"Then why are you dragging this out so much? I've already said it once, and I'll say it again — I have achieved scores that are no different from my previous ones. You're not expelled, right? So take this as a learning opportunity and improve yourself. There's still time. Prove to me that you aren't a burden. Prove it to me, and I'll accept your clause."

Yamauchi quieted down after my small pep talk, and he slumped back into his chair, sulking and muttering inaudible phrases under his breath. I sighed, and sat down in my seat as well.

"Such a moron," Chiaki muttered from beside me. "Why does he even exist? He's physically and academically useless, and he's a pervert. How did the school even accept an asshole like him?"

I chuckled. "You sure don't hold back, do you?"

"Why would I!? He was talking trash about you!" she flailed her arms about indicating the extent of Yamauchi's stupidity. "I got triggered, okay?"

"Yes, I understand. And I'm grateful."

"I... right." She turned to face the other way, but continued to sneak peeks at my direction. I raised my eyes in exasperation.

"What is it? You need to tell me something?" I asked.

"Since when did you have piercings?" she said, and she suddenly widened her eyes. "Wait, since when did YOU have PIERCINGS?!"

"Oh...umm, about that," I whispered frantically, but Chiaki's excitement and surprise had already travelled throughout the classroom.

"Takeyama-kun has piercings?" Karuizawa-san asked dramatically, and the entire female population was staring at me.

"What the hell? I wanted to keep that a secret!" I whispered furiously to Chiaki, but she snickered like the evil woman that she is.

"Keisuke, are those actually allowed?" Hirata asked me with an amused expression. "When did you get them? They don't look very new."

"I, umm, got them about a year back," I said. "Before joining highschool. And I think they're allowed. Sensei already knows about it. I think."

"Wait, you've had it all this time, and no one in class noticed!?" Chiaki jumped up and started freaking out. "Don't tell me that no one in class noticed! Even I didn't notice!"

"That's just because you're blind."

"Wha--? I'm not blind!" she pouted adorably. "You hide your ears under your hair most of the time! You put it up on a bun only today! That's the only reason why we noticed it!"

"Yeah, I guess you're right," I said quietly. Tie your hair up, said that platinum haired senior. It will be fun, they said.

"But nevermind, it looks really cool!" Sato-san squealed from the sides. "You should do that more often, Takeyama-kun!"

"Y-yeah, right," I said uncertainly. Even though I was the Class Leader, I still wasn't used to this much of attention.

The rest of the day passed by in a flash. I could see most of the boys looking at me with pure hatred in their eyes, and the girls stared at me throughout class. I really need to start putting my hair down again. I'm becoming a major distraction.

I quickly packed up my stuff to head back to the dorms. Just as I was about to get up, Karuizawa-san stopped me from continuing ahead.

"... Karuizawa-san? You need something?" I asked.

"Can I call you today?" she asked. "There's something that I need to confirm."

Confirm? What was she talking about? Is she talking about Kiyotaka's involvement? But what does she need to confirm with me in that case?

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Sato-san talking with Kiyotaka outside the class.

Wait, Sato-san was talking to Ayanokoji? I tilted my head in confusion. Were they a thing? Karuizawa-san noticed me staring at them as well.

"I think Sato-san has the hots for Ayanokoji-kun," she answered my question. "Ever since that race against the Student Council President, he's gained quite some attention."

"You don't say," I muttered, and I left the confused Karuizawa standing in the middle of class. "I'll call you up if that's ok. I've got some Student Council work now, so I'll be gone for a while."

"That's alright, I'm free today evening," she said, stretching her hands out, and enhancing her cleavage. I unconsciously glanced at her chest — they were neither too small nor too big. The perfect size. The ones that fit in your hand almost perfectly. I rid my head of such unholy thoughts.

"Then I'll call you up," I replied, and I left the classroom towards the council room for my first day in the Student Council.

*

"Kouhai!" an irritating voice rang out in the room when I excused myself in. "What a pleasure it truly is to see you in the Council Room!"

"Good evening, President," I said dismissively. "Thank you for having me here, I guess."

"Of course! Now, since you're a new member, you've got quite a few things to learn from us seniors! I'll have Nazuna and Kiriyama have you go through all the tiny things that you need to do as a part of the Council. A little bit of paperwork here and there, organizing a few events once in a while, and quite a few applications come in almost everyday — club reports, application forms, student complaints, suggestion papers — there's quite some stuff to get used to. So don't dilly-dally and go ahead!"

I nodded curtly in Nagumo's direction, and I turned to look a pretty chocolate-haired girl with a flower clip adorning her hair walk towards me, alongside the new Vice President, Ikuto Kiriyama. I'd left a bad taste in his mouth when I had rejected his offer of working together to revolt against Nagumo, so he looked a bit pissed off when he was asked to work along with me.

"President, I think it will be enough for Asahina-san to guide the newbie," he said. "There's no point in there being 2 people. I've got a few third year applications to process today. I'm on a tight schedule."

"Well, if that's what you want," Nagumo dismissed him. "Nazuna can go ahead then, I guess."

I followed the senior out of the council room.

"Nice to meet you, kouhai. I'm Nazuna Asahina; you can call me Nazuna if you want to," she said cheekily, as she stared at me like I'm some sort of interesting specimen.

"Nice to meet you too, senpai. I'm Takeyama Keisuke," I said. "But I don't think I'll feel comfortable calling a senior by their first name right off the bat. I'll say we take it slow?" I joked.

"Up to you," she said, and she pranced around the corridor. "Say, Takeyama-kun, what did you do to catch Miyabi's attention so soon?"

The girl looked at me with cute eyes. Why are all the girls in this school so pretty? Maybe it's because I haven't really talked to that many girls back in the White Room. Everyone of the opposite sex looks enticing. I've really gotta keep those hormones under control.

"Say, senpai. You aren't a part of the Council, are you?"

"Nope! I'm not; Miyabi just trusts me a whole deal. I've been in and out of the Council Room ever since he's become the Vice President, so it's not really a big deal," Asahina-senpai said.

"He trusts you so much that he even allows you into the Council Room? That's crazy..." I trailed off at the end. Asahina-senpai continued as though she hadn't heard me, and we arrived at the storage room of the school. I've not been in this part of the school before, so things were pretty new to me.

"Here, there's a bunch of old applications and files," she said. "These are all the old one — stuff from last year's batch. You can look through them and get a feel of how, where and what you need to sign, and what you're currently in for. The secretaries do most of the work; they are the ones who review the agreements, and debate on its pros and cons."

"I kinda figured. The President is just a figurehead right?" I asked. Senpai playfully bent forward and booped my nose. I reflexively stumbled back.

"Bingo! You're not supposed to find that out!" she cooed, and I was thoroughly overwhelmed at this senpai. Why is she teasing me? Not that I don't like it, but why?

"Well, it wasn't that hard to figure out, really," I said in a tone more forceful than normal. Asahina-senpai looked stunned at my sudden change in stance. No, Keisuke. You shouldn't have done that. Nope. You shouldn't have.

"Aww... say, Takeyama-kun... you're the dominating type, aren't you?" She suddenly scooted over closer to me, and placed her thin finger on my chest. "I really do like the dominating types..." she seductively bit her lower lip.

"Alright senpai, that's enough," I said, and I pushed her off me.

"I'm just kidding!" she said playfully, and she pranced around the storage room. How does Nagumo deal with this woman? How does she deal with Nagumo? Weird.

I walked over to a random shelf in the room, chose a random stack, chose a random file, and opened it to a random page. The odds of turning to this particular page in the book was absolutely astronomical. I peered in closer into the page I had turned into. It was... a past special exam?

Wait, a past Special Exam?

I widened my eyes, and went through the file. It consisted of all the results of that particular special exam. I guided my finger through the pages, and tried to find anything that would help me piece the information together. But there didn't seem to be any mention of its name, or the rules of the exam.

Well, I guess I was hoping for too much. It would have been extremely simple for Council Students to just whip out old files and go through the rules of the special exams beforehand in that case. It would be quite obvious that some of the Special Exams are definitely repeated — earlier school batches had already gone through the Deserted Island Exam, as conveyed to me by Kiryuin-senpai.

This file wouldn't be of much use if there isn't a clear demarcation of the rules of the exam. It consisted of all the classes of Third Year of the batch 9 years before us, from Classes 3-A to 3-D. The roster consisted of something that looked like this:

*

Class 3-A — Voted Against Expel 50 Class Points

Class 3-B — Voted For Expel 150 Class Points

Class 3-C — Adjourned Exam -300 Class Points

Class 3-D — Voted Against Expel 50 Class Points

*

The results did not make much sense to me. If I had a list with the names of the students, or maybe even the Student Council President of that batch, I could inch a bit closer to finding out more about this Special Exam. This was a file from 9 years ago, so I wasn't hoping on actually finding someone from that batch, considering that we don't have any contact with outside school.

From this Special Exam, I could figure that the Option ' Voted Against Expel' nets you 50 Class Points, while ' Voted For Expel' nets you 150 Class Points. ' Adjourned Exam' was the most dangerous option, with a loss of 300 Class Points. 300 Class Points in your 3rd Year of High School could pretty much decide your standing on the ladder. And if you're in Class C, then your chances of reaching Class A are pretty much ruined.

I glanced towards my right. Asahina-senpai was humming a song to herself, and going through random shelves as well. I silently ripped the result sheet from the file, and folded it into my pocket. I needed to study this later.

I went through the other files on that rack, hoping to find something that would satiate my curiosity of this Exam, but I did not find any relevant files. The rest of the folders were past complaints on misbehavior, bullying and certain suggestions for the Student Council. Nothing that particularly stood out.

I moved in closer into the room. There were quite a few shelves, and all of them were stacked all the way to the top. I pulled out a few more random files in hopes of striking gold, but I ended up pulling an expired monetary transfer check, the scoreboard of the ANHS Basketball Club Matches, a few receipts with the past President's stamp, a pornographic magazine...

A pornographic magazine?

I, Keisuke Takeyama, had struck gold once again.

A/N's:

Hello everyone, I'm back. I've not been in the right mindset lately, which explains the sudden drop in frequency of my chapters. But I guess I'll come out of it soon? (hopefully lmao)

Thanks for reading! Cheers.

Chapter 43 - Rewind

I slowly stashed the curious magazine under my jacket, making sure to fold it properly to hide its presence. The last thing I wanted was a gorgeous senpai catching a Student Council Member stealing an adult magazine from the storeroom.

But it's not my fault. Why was this even in the storeroom in the first place?

Nevertheless, I felt like the worst scum of the Earth.

Asahina-senpai wobbled over to my position. "You done? Did you find some cool stuff? Did you steal anything? Did you put everything back in its place? Did you --"

"Yes, I did," I hastily cut in, preventing her from ranting on any further. "I returned everything back to its proper rack. You don't have to worry about anything, senpai." I decided to dodge her second question.

"Such a sweet kouhai~" she cooed, and she stood up on her heels to pat my head. "You can call me Nazuna, you know?"

"...right." I bent down a little to receive more headpats.

"Heh~ you're liking it?" she teased me. "You want your senpai to give you more pats?"

"... I won't deny that it feels good," I admitted.

"Aww, you're so honest! But I want you to leave you wanting more," she suddenly changed her attitude, and she stopped patting me.

Oh well. I guess all good things come to an end.

I closed and locked the door behind me, and we headed back to the Council Room.

I headed back to my room after a rather tiring stint at the Council Room. Ichinose-san and I were handed the task of dealing with a complaint that we had received from the Second Year Student Body, and we were discussing on how we were going to go about it.

And that took over 2 hours of my terrific time away, considering that Ichinose-san takes this job very seriously. She made sure not to skip over any of the points that were listed on the sheet of paper. I internally commended her hardworking nature.

But during my usual generic conversations with her while we were returning back to the dormitories, I learnt that she had been accepted into the student council just like how I was — by Nagumo himself.

I narrowed my eyes, and fell into thought. An honor student like Ichinose Honami was accepted into the Student Council without going through an interview? So the past President Horikita did not accept Ichinose into the Council at first.

But what did Nagumo see in Ichinose, that persuaded him to allow her to join the Council? One could say that she was a very capable and responsible person, so having her as secretary would definitely speed things up.

But shouldn't that be true for Katsuragi Kohei as well?

Katsuragi was a straight Class A student. He was rejected by President Horikita during the interview, but even someone whose capabilities rival those of Ichinose Honami's was not accepted by Nagumo? Why then, did he accept Ichinose, and reject Katsuragi?

Furthermore, is Ichinose-san the type to join the Council without taking the proper method? For all I knew, she was someone who valued justice and fair play at all times. It seemed a bit contradictory that she would join the Council in such a half-assed way, the way I did.

But that does not pose a solid argument. Even I, who was adamantly against getting myself involved with the Council, joined the Council at the end. Maybe that was the case with Ichinose-san as well.

I bid goodbye to Ichinose in the lobby, and headed back to my Room. As soon as the elevator stopped at the 4th Floor, I was greeted by a girl with long blonde hair waiting outside the elevator. She was wearing shorts, and a red top. Quite the killer combo.

"You finally came back. It's literally 7pm," Karuizawa-san pouted. "How much work does the Council have on your first day?"

"Quite a lot, in fact," I replied unenthusiastically. "Why're you waiting for me on the Fourth Floor? Wouldn't it be suspicious if someone saw you? This is an all-boys floor after all."

"That's not an issue, I can just say that I was here to visit Hirata-kun's Room," she dismissed me. "Shall we head over then?"

"Wait, my Room?"

"Nope. Room 401." Saying so, she trotted along the corridor to the first Room in display. She looked around the hallways once again. "Cover me up, pretty please?"

I sighed, and stood behind Karuizawa, and potentially hid her from anyone who might suddenly enter the hallways. It looked like she really did not want to be seen.

She knocked on the door twice, and then paused, and knocked again. What, so Ayanokoji had devised some sort of secret knock? But what was the point? There's a camera in every Room that shows the outside of the door, right?

After a few seconds, the door opened, and Karuizawa-san walked in without almost any delay. I slowly excused myself in as well, and Ayanokoji locked the door behind him.

"Quite the gathering," I said, as I entered Kiyotaka's Room. It was pretty scarce, and did not have much décor to it. To someone who enters his room for the first time, it would seem as though Kiyotaka is a minimalist. But since I know more about him, I figured that he was probably just too bored to decorate his room.

"Why are we here again?" I asked. I plopped myself down on the bed. Karuizawa-san sat down next to me, and turned to stare at me.

"..."

"Yes?"

"Do you know?" she asked suddenly, and I lifted my eyebrows. Did I know? Of course I knew. Kiyotaka and I are working together, after all. Why would Karuizawa call me all the way to Kiyotaka's Room and ask me this question in front of the said person himself? I was very confused.

"... I do know," I admitted. "But why are you telling me this now? Couldn't you have just stayed silent about it? I mean, Kiyotaka could have confirmed it himself," I said. "What was the need to ask me about it?"

Karuizawa's face twisted in a frown. "What are you talking about?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked. It looks like we were on completely different wavelengths.

Ayanokoji, who had been watching our pointless debate continue, cut in.

"He doesn't know. But I think it will be better if he did."

"...?"

Ok, now I was really confused. What are these two blabbering on about? They're talking about something that both of them were aware of, but I did not know of.

Karuizawa uncomfortably shifted on the bed. She pensively stared at Ayanokoji, as though waiting for him to say something. Ayanokoji caught her stare, and sighed.

"It's your wish. It's up to you if you want to tell him or not. But I personally feel it is better to tell him about it. Keisuke is someone you can trust."

Karuizawa nodded meekly, and she closed her eyes. She took in a deep breath.

"Takeyama-kun, I want you to listen closely."

"... go ahead."

The atmosphere set in the Room was a bit heavy. I could feel that whatever Karuizawa was trying to tell me now was something that she held very deeply as a treasured secret.

"I was bullied."

"!?"

I unconsciously gripped the bedsheet a bit tighter. Karuizawa-san, the strong-willed Leader of Class D, the girl with such a powerful influence — is a victim of bullying?

"Bullying? How?"

"It was in middle school," she said quietly. "I was mercilessly bullied. They wrote names on my desk and uniform; things like 'slut' and 'whore'. They stuffed dead animal carcasses in my lockers. They put thumb-tacks in my shoes. They threw toilet water at me in the bathrooms. I was made to confess to boys that I did not even like. They once even pulled down my skirt in front of the entire class."

"..."

I stayed quiet throughout her story. From what I had heard from Daisuke-san, bullying is quite common to those students who fail to stand up for themselves. I had never witnessed anything like it before. I had assumed that bullying would only include things like being a little rude and mean, but this... this was crazy.

"It hurt," she suddenly said. Her eyes swelled up a bit. "It hurt every time they hit me. Every time they embarrassed me. I was completely left in the darkness. I wanted to break free from these shackles.
So I made a promise to myself. Starting high school, I would definitely stand up for myself. I cannot allow it to happen again. I cannot suffer like how I did for my 2 years of middle school. I had to consolidate myself as the leader. I must stay at the top of the social ladder."

Suddenly, everything made more sense to me. Karuizawa's average grades, even though she has a good head on those shoulders, her fierce and strong attitude...

... Hirata Yosuke.

I had finally connected everything. Even though it's been almost 3 months since Hirata and Karuizawa have been dating, they still call each other by their last names, and with honorifics. Everything about their relationship was just so... scripted.

So fake.

My suspicions were confirmed.

It indeed was fake.

"I guess... that's all I wanted to say," Karuizawa-san said, as she twiddled with the end of her hair. "I don't want you to tell this to anyone. My life depends on it. Please make sure I can trust you."

I stayed silent for a while.

"Have you told me everything, Karuizawa-san?"

She flinched. "W-why do you ask? I've told you everything about myself."

I glanced at Kiyotaka. He was sitting on his chair, staying quiet throughout. He yawned a bit, and unconsciously scratched his hip.

Which was a pretty weird thing to do.

"There's still something you're hiding from me, aren't you?" I asked. Karuizawa-san looked at me with fearful eyes.

"N-n-no, there's nothing. I've already t-told you everything..."

I internally sighed. "Well, I guess I can't do anything if you're not willing to tell me. But maybe I could interrogate you a bit?"

"I-interrogate?"

"Why do you never swim?"

"S-s-swim? Where did that come from?" she asked warily, and she involuntarily scooted backwards a bit on the bed. "Stop it, you're scaring me..."

"You have something right? On your waist?"

She visibly panicked. "H-h-how... did Ayanokoji tell you... I trusted him, he'd not tell you..."

"It's just a hunch," I replied, and I moved closer to her as well. "You have a darkness. Something that you're desperately trying to hide from everyone. Something that would tarnish your reputation and drop you to the depths if you do not hide... am I right?"

"..." Karuizawa continued to stare at me with wide eyes. I slowly moved back, and allowed her some space to breathe. She took the hint, and closed her eyes to calm herself down.

"... guess there's no point hiding it from you, is there?" she murmured. She slowly stood up, and turned to face me. Then, she lowered her hands to her top, and slowly pulled up her shirt.

My eyes widened. Beneath her top, and on her beautiful, pale skin, laid an ugly scar. A scar that stretched from the top of her navel to her left hip.

I slowly stood up, and and brought myself up to full height. I inched closer to the girl, and she lowered her head. I slowly raised my right hand, and caressed her scar.

"Ah-ha!" she reflexively stumbled back. "W-what..."

"It's around a year old," I whispered, and Karuizawa-san widened her eyes. "Moderately deep, and 7 stitches. Something like this can only be caused by a blade, likely from a sharpener."

"..." Karuizawa-san did not respond, but just nodded. She slowly lowered her top, and covered her scar.

I sat down on the chair, and the 3 of us were enveloped in a comfortable silence. I took in a deep breath, and stretched my legs out.

"Are you okay with telling me about it?" I asked. "From what I've understood, you don't want this to be known by anyone else in this school."

"I realized that, well, since you and Ayanokoji-kun are working together, it would be better for you to know," she quietly whispered. "And you know about Ayanokoji's involvement in the class affairs anyways, so you obviously know that I am currently being used by Ayanokoji as well."

"Used is a strong word, I guess," I said. "But I appreciate your courage. Thank you for telling me, Karuizawa-san. Your secret is safe with me."

She slowly nodded in understanding, and slumped back onto the bed.

"Coffee?" Kiyotaka asked us, as he headed into the kitchen.

"Nothing for me," Karuizawa-san grumbled.

"Black tea," I said, and Kiyotaka nodded before heading into the kitchen to prepare a cup of tea for me.

I stood up, leaving Karuizawa strewn across the bed, and entered the kitchen.

"What's up?" Ayanokoji said, as he placed the kettle for heating.

"You made her tell me?" I asked with a hint of annoyance.

"Not really. I just pushed the idea into her head. Whether she really wanted to tell you or not was completely up to her," Ayanokoji replied.

"But what are you trying to achieve this way?" I pressed on. "Don't tell me you're slowly planning to expose Karuizawa's past to the school?"

"That is not my intention," he replied. "I merely realized that it would lead to unnecessary problems and contradictions if she did not tell you about herself. All conversations that you would have with Karuizawa would be suspicious, to say the least, since you knew about Karuizawa's involvement with me. But she did not know that you were aware of my involvement in the class affairs. It would lead to a complicated situation."

"So you threw all your cards out into the open?" I asked. "Your main aim was to clear any misunderstandings and ill-will that we might have stored up against each other?"

"Yes. In simple words, lay ourselves bare in front of each other," he replied.

"I see. Though that seems to be troublesome, it will help us out in the long run," I said. Kiyotaka handed over the cup to me, and I slowly took a sip out of the tea.

Maybe it wouldn't hurt to get a review.

I fished out in my pocket, before I took out the thing that I was searching for.

"This strikes any bells?" I asked, as I handed over the Special Exam Result Sheet from 9 years ago to Kiyotaka. He scanned through the sheet, and looked at me questioningly.

"What is this? Where did you get it?"

"In simple words, its the result of a past Special Exam," I said. "One from 9 years ago. From the looks of it, it happened to the students in their Third Year, and Class 3-C bore quite a hefty damage from this exam. Recovery is almost impossible."

"My second question?"

"Found it in an old archives section while running some errands for the Council," I replied. "Can you possible formulate any sort of hypothesis regarding this exam? I've already searched the entire shelf where I found this file — I could not find the name or the rules of the Special Exam."

"It's hard to come up with something with just the results," he said, as he read through the slip again. "But it does remind me of someone who might know about this."

I smiled. "Looks like we've arrived at the same conclusion, eh?"

Kiyotaka sighed, and folded the sheet of paper, before handing it back to me. "I'll let you do the talking. I don't want to get involved in this, to be honest. Give me a summary of whatever happens."

"It would be rather suspicious if you came along with me as well," I said deplorably. "I'll ask the person myself."

Kiyotaka nodded, and headed back into the room. I followed suit. Karuizawa-san was still sitting there, and she looked at us as we approached. "What were you two going on about?"

"Nothing at all," I replied. "It's getting quite late — I think Karuizawa should head back to her room. It would spark rumors if you were seen any later than now."

"Now that you say it, you're right," Karuizawa-san said, and she stood up from the bed. "Well, I'll get going then, Ayanokoji-kun. Good night, Takeyama-kun."

With that, she swung her hair around like an experienced fashionista, and peeked out of the door. Once she confirmed the corridors were empty, she took the elevator and left.

I watched the young girl leave. This headstrong girl was bullied. But there was no way Kiyotaka would have found that out without any sort of notion from beforehand.

Which can mean only one thing.

Karuizawa-san has been bullied. Inside the premises of Advanced Nurturing High School.

And Kiyotaka used it as leverage to get her onto his side. I glanced at the ever-stoic individual to my right.

"Who bullied her?"

Kiyotaka looked at me without the slightest surprise, as if he had been expecting that question. "Manabe Shiho, Yabu Nanami, Yamashita Saki and Morofuji Rika. All Class C girls. It happened during the Zodiac Exam."

All Class C girls? Does that mean it had something to do with Ryuuen?

No, I can safely dismiss that possibility. The only reason Ryuuen would have asked his classmates to bully Karuizawa was only if he himself knew about Karuizawa's past. But since she usually keeps shut about it, no one else in the school other than Kiyotaka, Yosuke and I should know about her past.

It must have been some sort of girl dispute. The ones that get ugly real fast. I did not dig into the situation any deeper; there was no point in knowing the details.

"Can I assume you threatened these Class C girls with some sort of video footage so that they wouldn't harm Karuizawa again?"

"Yes. A video footage of them bullying her. I sent them out to each of the girls via a private incognito message. Surely they would not hurt her again."

"But how did you get Karuizawa onto your side?" I asked. "Did you... threaten her as well?"

"... there was no other way."

That day, I came to unravel a bit more about this mysterious man called Kiyotaka Ayanokoji. A truly heartless person, who is trying to learn what it's like to have a heart.

A man who sees everyone as a tool.

But to be fair, I'm not any different.

But maybe, just maybe, I have something that he doesn't have. I have what is known as emotions. I know what it is like to be happy. What it feels like to be sad. What it feels like to experience pain. Agony. Loss. Joy. Anger. I had them all.

And that is how I will prove to Kiyotaka that you need more than just tools.

A person who cannot understand what another feels like, will never move past a certain threshold capability. He will drown in his own vortex, in a black hole. A completely empty space.

A thought that scares me even now.

"I see. Thank you for having me over, I guess," I said. "I'll get going now."

With that, I left towards my room as well.

A/N's:

I've got exams starting this week, and they pretty much continue forever. I've got back-to-back assignments, and that means I'll be a little late in posting chapters.

Thanks for reading, and cheers.

Chapter 44 - The Paper Shuffle

Homeroom today was again extremely silent and suffocating. Chabashira-sensei entered the classroom, and stared holes into pretty much everyone sitting on their chairs.

She then spoke up.

"I'm genuinely surprised that everyone in Class D this time was able to pass the Midterm Exams. This is the first time in the history of Class D that there have been no expellees for this long. Congratulations."

The class openly gasped. The cold and rude Chabashira-sensei was actually being nice? Well, I guess no one else in the class has actually seen her softer side. I was a bit privileged when it came to that. She glanced at me once, furtively, and I caught her gaze.

Was she attributing her change in behavior this time to me? Did she, perhaps, change her demeanor because she thought that Class D this time actually might have a chance to ascend into a higher Class?

Is she planning to change her stance because she now knows that I can lead the class to Class A?

"You praising us feels weird," Horikita murmured, but most of the class had caught on to her statement. Everyone else in class seemed to agree as well; after all, everyone in the class is well aware that Chabashira-sensei never ends her speeches on a positive note.

Sensei ignored Horikita's assessment, and slowly walked around the class, as though trying to gauge a reaction out of the students. She stopped in front of Ike's desk.

"Ike, what do you think of this school? Give me your honest opinion."

Ike thought about it for a bit. "Umm, well, I'd say it's a good school. If you score well in your tests you get a lot of money to spend. There's tasty food, individual dorm rooms. You can buy games and stuff. There's movies and karaoke as well. Plus, the girls are cute..."

I don't think the last one has anything to do with the school.

"D-did I say something wrong?" Ike asked fearfully.

"No, not at all. In fact, I would say it is paradise. Even as a teacher, I feel that this school is excessively lavish. It almost defies common sense."

Chabashira-sensei remarked as well, and continued to patrol the class. She stopped in front of Ayanokoji's desk for just a second, but continued without asking him anything.

She then stopped in front of my desk. Of course she would stop in front of my desk. OF COURSE.

"What do you think of this school, Takeyama?" Chabashira-sensei asked me. "Give me an honest opinion."

So she wants an honest opinion?

But I thought she knew what I think of this school as a whole? Why is she trying to get me to express my thoughts in front of the class?

If I lie here, then she'll point it out. I cannot afford to have any of my classmates lose their faith on me.

"I think this school is extremely strange."

Whispers echoed throughout the classroom, and I could see Chabashira-sensei crack an almost invisible smile. But she quickly reverted back to her usual stoic expression.

All the attention on class was on me now.

"Oh? And why is it strange, Takeyama?"

"Isn't it fairly obvious? There's no limit to the amount of freedom we have here in this school. Like Ike said, we can do pretty much everything that is allowed by the law inside this school. It's like a mini-city. But it's the flip side of the same coin. There's how Class D students are treated in this school. Inferior to every other class. On one hand, we have a school that endorses freedom above all values. On the other hand, the school openly discriminates against defective students. It is, in simple words, hypocritical behavior."

"But that's how it is everywhere, is it not? The school prepares you to face the worst."

"Have you ever thought about it from a different perspective, sensei? The so-called 'values' that this school promotes?"

Sensei raised her eyebrows. The class was deathly silent; the only voices were of the 2 of us in a back-and-forth word tumble.

"Different perspective, you say?"

"Yes. It's all about perspective. A thief who steals bread for his family is seen as a nuisance by the shopkeeper, a liability by society. But what is he seen as by the person he feeds? A hero. He's seen as a savior by that person."

"...what are you getting at?"

"I'm saying that the school wants to teach us how real society works. And in my opinion, the only set of students that the school is teaching," I took a slight pause for added effect. "Are students in Class D."

Chabashira-sensei widened her eyes, and could not hide the smirk that arrived on her face in time. The class let out audible gasps, and tried to reconstruct my statements.

"Why do you say so, Keisuke?" Yosuke Hirata asked the question the entire class wanted to ask.

"Think about it this way. What exactly is the school teaching the students in Class A?"

"What the school is teaching students in Class A... teaching them the importance of being first?" Kushida-san replied uneasily.

"Wrong. The only thing that the school has managed to drill into the heads of these Class A students is that they're the best. The cream of the crop. They're naturally instilling a feeling that all the classes below them are inferior to them. In other words, a mild version of Kouenji's case of narcissism. But for Class D students, this, instead of being turned into hope and despair, gets turned into a competitive fighting spirit. Granted, not all students in the higher ranked classes get influenced by these methods, but it is an undeniable fact that the school encourages us to undermine weaker people."

"What?"

Ike, Yamauchi, Sudo and a select few others mumbled incomprehensively. Looks like they did not get my point. I slowly turned to look at Chabashira-sensei, who had the most amused expression on her bewitching face.

"Marvelous," she muttered under her breath. "I didn't know you had such deep rooted thoughts, Takeyama."

"I just have a lot of free time to think about this stuff, I guess," I said nonchalantly.

"My, my, how utterly convenient of you to use my name as an example," Kouenji said, with his legs propped up on the table. "Looks like my perfect existence has finally been noticed and acknowledged by Handsome-Boy-kun."

I ignored his comment. Kouenji did not seem perturbed anyway, and he continued to do whatever he was doing.

"Wait, what was the point in asking this to us, sensei?" Karuizawa-san asked.

Sensei again did not respond, but continued to stare at me the entire time. It was getting a bit uncomfortable, so I cleared my throat a bit.

She smirked slightly, and proceeded to take centerstage on the podium.

"Next week, in preparation for the Second Semester's Final Exam, there will be a short test with problems from 8 subjects. I'm sure that some of you have already started studying, but I just wanted to remind you."

"Haw!? Another test!?" Yamauchi wailed. "But we just cleared one! Why were we not told of this earlier!"

"Don't sweat it, Yamauchi. There will be 100 questions on the test, for a total of 100 points. However, the questions will be of your third-year junior high level. This test is just to confirm your fundamentals. Furthermore, much like the mock test, it won't reflect on your grades."

The class breathed a sigh of relief. But it was short-lived.

"However, this test will play a major role in your next final exam."

Of course. The school never does anything without a reason. There must be an underlying reason as to why we would suddenly be tested on third year junior high things.

"Let me explain. This next exam will determine certain partners that would pair up for the actual Midterm Tests."

"... partners?" I murmured under my breath. It seemed no one in the class understood what that meant either.

"Pairs decided based on this test will go on to take the Midterm together. There will be 8 subjects in the Midterms, each worth 100 Points. There are certain possible ways to fail this exam. One, if your pair scores below 60 points collectively in any one subject, then both students in that pair will be expelled."

"I assume that this score is a collective of the students in each pair?" I asked.

"Correct. In other words, the combined score of both students in a pair must be greater than 60. For example, if Ike and Takeyama were to be paired together, and Ike scores 0 points on one subject, both students will pass as long as Takeyama scores above 60 points in that subject."

The class seemed to understand where this was headed. This meant that it would be pretty easy to clear this exam as long as you're paired along with an academically capable student.

But that would become too easy. 60 points is too low of a threshold, considering it's out of 200 Points (because each pair attempts a particular subject twice). There is definitely something else. Another way to fail.

"There is another additional hurdle to overcome. The school has decided that you must secure a certain overall score to avoid failing. Even if you manage to get 60 Points or more in each individual subject, failing to meet the average will result in expulsion. The average has not been decided for sure yet, but it's usually around 800 Points."

800 points is the total score that a pair must cross to avoid this method of expulsion.

To sum it up, 2 students attempt the test together for 1600 Points, and must score at least above 800 points on it. Since each student attempts a total of 8 subjects for 100 Points each, only someone gets full 100's across the board will be able to save their partner from expulsion even if they score 0's across.

But since that is mostly impossible, it would mean that both students in a pair must score some amount of marks to cross the average of 800.

Thinking about it logically, even students like Hirata and Horikita will not be able to score the entire threshold marks alone. You can score only a maximum marks of 800 alone, which is the maximum. Your partner must be willing to score something, otherwise it will be impossible to clear this exam.

"Ahem," Chabashira-sensei cleared her throat. "There's another part of this exam which will challenge you."

Hirata, the class mediator, looked a bit uneasy. "There's another part to it?"

"Yes. First, the school will ask you to concoct your own questions to appear on the final exam day. They'll use the questions you come up with as a question paper for one of the other 3 classes. That means classes will be able to attack one another, so as to speak. The school will compare your overall class's score to the overall score of the class that received your test questions. The class that scores higher will take 50 Class Points from the losing class. Hence, this exam has gained an interesting name — 'Paper Shuffle'."

This exam was getting more and more academic-based as sensei continued to drone on. There was no possible way to actually 'strategize' for this exam — you'll really need to work your ass off if you want to win this exam. Balancing both the creation of 400 test questions and your own preparations for the exam is crucial.

But the last rule sensei said accounted for some very interesting possibilities.

For instance, it was clearly mentioned that the 'class with your questions' will be targeted as your opponent for the calculation of the overall score. But that basically means that the class you attack, and the class you defend against, does not have to be the same class.

In other words, we can launch our questions to Class B, and get questions from Class C. In that case, if we manage to successfully both attack and defend at the same time, we can score up to 100 Class Points in a single strike.

But that should count for one-on-one battles as well. In the case that the entire situation ends up as Class C vs Class D, then we should get 50 Points for defending, and 50 Points for successfully defending — 100 Class Points again.

Which option would be better for us? Clearly, everyone should see Class C vs Class D as the better option. They're the lowest Class academically, so it would only make sense to attack them. But that would not essentially close our gap with Class B.

For instance, currently, the Class Points stood at :-

Class 1-A — 874 CP
Class 1-B— 753 CP
Class 1-C— 442 CP
Class 1-D— 433 CP

In the best possible scenario, we would gain 50 Points from Class C for defending, and also gain 50 Points from Class B by attacking them.

It would lead to Class B sitting at around 650 CP, considering that Class A will probably defend against Class B and win as well, Class C at 392 CP and Class D at 533 Class Points.

In one shot, we can both overtake Class C and close the gap between Class B.

But as much as I wanted to go ahead with this idea, I knew inwardly that this was impossible. Our academic abilities weren't enough to pull one up against Class B. I could only hope for the second best scenario — where we both attack and defend against Class C.

Now that I think about it, that is the only choice that will probably work out practically as well. I'm almost 120% sure that Ryuuen will appoint Class D as his attacking class. He will definitely come back after me for revenge.

"-eyama-kun? Takeyama-kun?"

I felt a soft hand try to shake me up. I zoned back into the classroom from my dream world.

"H-huh?"

"You completely zoned out," Horikita said. "We're having a short meeting on the exam now. What were you thinking about?"

"Oh, it was, umm, nothing," I said. "Nothing important."

"You were probably coming up with strategies to win this exam, right?" Chiaki gleefully poked me on my ribs. "Now that you're Mr. Leader and stuff."

"Of course Takeyama-kun was coming up strategies and ways for us to win!" Ichihashi-san squealed.

"Yeah, you're right! He's always coming up with crazy ways for us to win!" Nishimura-san said.

"And all of them have always worked as well!" Inogashira-san shyly commented.

"Kyaaa~"

"Hmph," Chiaki snorted at the random girls who fired their random comments. I chuckled. She was like a mom now.

"So, shall we get started?" Horikita impatiently said. "We're wasting time with your harem."

"Harem? Now that's kinda rude. There's a free seat, you know? You're welcome to join," I scoffed.

"Over my dead body."

"You're so mean. I offered you a free ticket and all."

"We still haven't stopped wasting time."

"Right. We can discuss later, though? At the Pallet, maybe," I suggested. "If we find an empty table, we can discuss without much hassle."

"That's fine by me. I'll be waiting," she said crisply, and she gracefully headed back to her seat. Kiyotaka glanced at me once as well, and I sent him a curt nod.

"So what do you think of this exam, Keisuke?" Hirata turned around to talk to me. Chiaki tuned in to the conversation as well. "It seems like a very open-ended fair competition to me."

"Yeah, it doesn't look like there's a way to fool the other classes this time," Chiaki agreed.

"There's still one question that I need to ask sensei," I pondered. I raised my hand, and sensei immediately looked at me.

"Yes, Takeyama?"

"If one class makes questions for another class, how do we confirm the difficulty level of the questions?"

It seems this was a question on the minds of most of the students in our class, because Ike screamed out right after I asked.

"Gah!? If the other classes make super-hard questions then we'll have no chance of passing!" A few other academically inept students vigorously nodded along with him.

"To answer your question, all the questions will be reviewed and assessed by the teachers. If any of the questions is deemed to be unsolvable by the textbook formulae that you possess, the class will be asked to revise their questions. There is no room for foul play. Plus, in the case that a class does not submit their written questions to their respective homeroom teacher before the deadline, then questions premade by the school will be used. But beware that these questions will be easier than the normal ones."

So there was no way to make extremely difficult questions and try to screw with the other classes. We had to rely on our own academic capabilities to pass this time. But we can't expect the questions to be simple this time — since we'll be receiving questions from another class this time, we'll mostly be asked trickier questions. But that applies to us as well.

"Sensei," Horikita raised her hand this time. "In the case that someone's partner is missing or absent during the day of the test, what are the procedures to be followed?"

"Thorough checking and confirming will be done on the person's reason to check for its legitimacy. If the reason is valid, then they will receive marks based on their performance in the previous tests. In the case the absence is unaccounted for, then both partners will be expelled. Of course, cheating and malpractices are forbidden. But I shouldn't have to remind you that."

No way to bunk the exam either, eh? I was planning to somehow get Yamauchi and Ike paired up and then have them both drop out of the exam, but it was pretty obvious that that wouldn't work.

This exam was going to be a pain in the ass.

Announcement - [1]

Hello everyone. It's been a while since I've actually written a proper Author's Note!

Well, I've got a bit of news — I've got a lot of assignments pending, and school's not going easy on me. A bunch of deadlines to meet, and you don't wanna know what my math teacher looks like when she's pissed.

So this is a small announcement informing y'all that chapters will be even slower now. I've been trying hard to cope with both irl and Wattpad, but of course, it's not that simple, is it?

Thank you for sticking along with this story! I had never imagined even a 100 views on this, but we're literally headed for 50K reads! And this is my first ever story as a writer! Thank you everyone again!

On a happier note, I have a new story with ideas and drafts hanging around (for all the MHA fans out there)! Keep your eyes peeled out for that one.

Wish me luck, and have a good day.

~ Creepsies

Chapter 44.5 - Teacher Troubles

Word Count - 2525 words

The current group in the Pallet consisted of Horikita, Hirata, Karuizawa, Ayanokoji, and surprisingly, Sudo. After his mess-up in the Sports Festival, he seems to have come to terms with his emotions and values, and now is genuinely interested in contributing to the class.

I found this change in attitude admirable.

"What have we found out about this exam till now?" Karuizawa-san started the conversation. "It seems pretty simple to me."

"It indeed is very simple," Horikita said. "But that doesn't explain something very important."

"Which is?"

"The short test that we'll be having next week, on our third year junior high school level syllabus," Horikita elaborated. "It doesn't explain the need for this test."

"Maybe we're just being tested?" Karuizawa-san pondered. "Maybe it has nothing to do with this Special Exam."

"I disagree. I feel that this exam is extremely important in regards to the upcoming Paper Shuffle. Sensei confirmed so herself. It seems that this short exam might be the key to acing this Special Exam."

"Hold up. Can you like, explain it in words such that an idiot like myself can understand?" Sudo groaned, and looked at Horikita.

"Very well. I meant that the pairs in the upcoming exam will be most likely made considering our results in the short test," Horikita explained.

"But that is purely speculation, right?" Hirata joined in. "We have no proof that that really is the case. And even if we do assume that the pairs are decided based on our results, what is the criteria for deciding the pairs?"

"It could be anything, to be honest. Maybe the top students will be paired together. Or maybe this exam is just a farce, and the pairs will be made according to alphabetical order. I don't think we can be sure."

The group fell into silence, and racked their brains to come up with some sort of protocol that would help decide the pairs. I sighed.

"I am positive that the first and last, second and second-last, etc., people will be paired together."

The group turned to look at me.

"Certainly, that is a possibility," Horikita pondered. "But what is the basis of your claims?"

"It's simple. Chabashira-sensei had made it clear that in the past, when the same exam had been conducted, there were only a maximum of one or two pairs expelled from the school. That could mean only one thing — the school makes the most balanced pair possible."

"Woah, slow down," Sudo said, and you could almost see the steam rising from his ears as he tried to use his brain for the first time. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"In other words, the school pairs up the student who scores the highest, and the student who scores the lowest," I explained. "That would also explain why there were only such less pairs expelled in the past. It is because most of the worse-off academic students were paired along with the honor students."

"Wait, if what you're saying is true, then the average students are in more danger, aren't they?" Karuizawa-san asked.

"It would seem that is the case," I said. I leaned back on the chair. "But now that we know this, we can use this to our advantage and tweak the rankings in a way that seems fit."

"You're saying we should alter our performances on the test?" Hirata asked me.

"Precisely. The students in our class who have low academic abilities, such as Ike-kun, Yamauchi-kun and Sudo-kun, need to just appear for this test. Score a big zero, is what I mean."

"I understand. So you want all the dumb students to intentionally score a zero, so that we get paired up with the students at the top?" Sudo summarized. "That's actually a good idea."

"Yes. But that still leaves us with a bit of a problem for the students who usually rank somewhere in the middle," I said. "They'll be paired up with someone of almost the same academic capabilities as themselves, and that could lead to a bit of a dilemma."

"I don't think there's anything we can do to stop that," Horikita said. "Most of our class is filled with students that fall under this category. So there'll be quite a lot of pairs where both partners are average."

"The best we can do for them is arrange for study groups," Hirata pointed. "We can have academically better students teach them and help them in the coming few weeks of preparation."

"That brings me to another point," I pointed out. "Just because you'll be paired alongside academically brighter students does not imply that you can while away your time by not studying. Remember, this is a simple class battle. The class with the greater average score wins. We cannot afford to take it lightly."

"That's true. I think Ike-kun and Yamauchi-kun need to be told that specifically," Horikita agreed to my statement.

"So can someone, like, sum everything up in an easy way so that an idiot like me can understand?" Sudo asked.

"The school will conduct a preliminary test which will decide the pairings for the subsequent midterm tests. The pairs will be formed such that they constitute the most balanced students together. And then we need to create questions together as a Class which will be used as a question paper for another class, and we'll get a question paper from one of the other classes. And whoever gets the better score wins."

Ayanokoji spoke up for the first time in the table, and laid out the entire situation bare in front of us. Hirata and Karuizawa-san nodded along with his explanation. Sudo seemed to have got the gist as well, and he slowly nodded his head in affirmation.

"Well, we've got another issue to sort out before we call it a day," I resumed. "We need to 'attack' a certain class with our questions. Does anyone have any objections with attacking Class C?"

"Class C? Surely that does seem to be the logical choice," Horikita resounded my argument. "They're the class who're closest to us in terms of academic abilities, so it increases our chances of winning."

"I agree. Class C should be our main target," Hirata said.

"But there's one thing that I want to confirm with everybody here. Class B is a viable choice, as well," said Horikita.

"Huh, Class B?" Sudo wondered aloud. "But why them? Aren't they like really smart and stuff?"

"Indeed. It is true that Class B is surely a tough nut to crack. But fighting Class C comes with considerable risk of allowing foul play and underhanded methods to enter our territory. This is Ryuuen we're talking about, after all," she replied calmly.

"I understand your concern, Horikita-san, but isn't it a bit counter-intuitive to choose Class B as our opponent?" Hirata asked concernedly. "There is definitely no chance of there being foul play if we battle against Class B. But it makes it exponentially harder to win."

"Class B has its fair share of dull students as well," Horikita responded. "Of course, I still believe that Class C is a better choice, but I don't want to close off all our options without giving it a thought."

"From that statement, can I infer that you have thrown Class A out of the equation?" I asked the black-haired girl.

"No question about that. Choosing Class A as our opponent is suicide."

There was no bantering about that in our group. It seemed everyone still thought of Class A as an all far-out heaven. I internally facepalmed at the lack of determination among my classmates.

Maybe a part of my desire to battle against Class A stemmed from the mysterious existence in Class A, Sakayanagi Arisu.

I wanted to battle her.

I wanted to see whether she was a worthy opponent or not.

But I guess that would have to wait. In an exam where the winner is decided solely on the basis of academics, having a full blown-out competition becomes extremely hard.

"So it's either Class C or Class B," Karuizawa-san reiterated. "I personally choose Class C. Aren't they the better option? I mean, I understand Ryuuen's mean and stuff, but it's not anything that we can't handle, right? We have Takeyama-kun with us, after all."

"I also don't like the idea of choosing Class B," Hirata said. "We have friendly relations with them. The last thing I want to do is destroy that trust."

Horikita stayed silent at their analysis, and sighed. "Very well then. Class C it is."

"Is that all we had for discussion? I've got basketball club in around 10 minutes, so I probably need to dip," Sudo said, pointing at his watch.

"I don't think we're done yet," I said. "We haven't discussed anything about study groups and questions for the other class yet."

"As for study groups, won't it be better to do the same thing as we did during the Midterms?" Karuizawa-san pondered. "Hirata-kun, Takeyama-kun, Horikita-san, Yukimura-kun, Mii-chan can all be the tutors, right?"

"I don't think there should be any questions on that," I said. "But it only makes sense to form the study groups after we've received the results of the short test next week."

"Hmm? But why?"

"We can then know the pairs that have been formed, right? We can put pairs together in the same study group, so we can know where each person lacks, and what each person needs to cover to compensate for the other."

"I see. Then we should form the study groups only after the test?" Sudo asked. "I understand. So I just need to get a zero, right?"

"Yes. Just get a zero. You'll most probably be paired along with the person who comes within the first 3."

"I hope I get paired alongside Suzune or something," Sudo grumbled. Horikita paid no heed to the laments of the lovestruck man.

"So that should end our short meeting, I think," Horikita amiably winded things up. "We can inform Yamauchi-kun and Ike-kun to score a zero as well tomorrow. Anyone else who we think needs to score a zero?"

"I suggest Kokoro-chan," Karuizawa-san stated. "She's not too confident in her studies, so I think it will make perfect sense to let her score a zero as well."

"Very well. Then 4 people will be scoring zeroes?"

"Count in Okitani as well."

"5? Do they really need help?"

"There's no harm in being cautious. At the end, the lower they score, they get paired along with the smarter students. I'm pretty sure once people know that, even the average students will start purposely scoring lower so that they get paired along with someone with a better score," I observed.

"Are you asking us to keep quiet about this, Keisuke?" Hirata asked me.

"Not exactly. We can't really stay quiet about this. We have to tell them. But we need to make it very clear that those who aren't supposed to score a zero, must score as high as they can."

"I understand. I'll relay that to all the girls," Karuizawa-san confirmed, and she began tapping away on her cell-phone.

"So we're done," Sudo said. "I really need to go. Club calls."

With that, the rest of us dispersed back to the dormitories.

(Timeskip — 2 hours)

I walked through the autumn air. The wind was definitely getting colder. I would soon need to wear a jacket from next time.

I walked into the school premises, and climbed up the stairs all the way to the 3rd Floor. I turned around to head down the north corridor.

Knock*

I waited outside the Faculty Room, and just as luck would have it, the door was opened by the person I didn't exactly want to meet.

"Ohoho, it's Keisuke-kun!" Hoshinomiya-sensei squealed, and she wrapped me around in a hug. "How've you been, cutie?"

"Umm, sensei."

"Hmm? What is it?"

"I don't think you should..."

"Should what?"

I sighed. "I don't think you should be latching on to me like this." I slowly pushed her off and released myself from her grip.

"Aww~ but why?" she said sadly, and she wiped off an imaginary tear from her eye. "I thought you liked me, Keisuke-kun..."

Why does everyone do this to me? They always make me out to be the villain. It's annoying.

"I'm sorry, Hoshinomiya-sensei, but I don't see you that way."

Yet.

"Haah!" Hoshinomiya-sensei let out an audible scream, and she covered her mouth with her hands. "You... you don't like me, Keisuke-kun?"

"That's not what I meant..."

"Then you do like me!" she squealed, and she latched herself onto my arm once again. "Come on, we'll go for a date! It can be in the Pallet, or even at the high end restaurant in Keyaki Mall, or maybe in your dorm bedroo- OW!"

Hoshinomiya-sensei let out a cute yelp, and she clutched her butt with her hands. "Ow, Sae-chan... don't be such a cockblocker..."

Chabashira-sensei hit her once again.

"OW! Ok, ok, I won't use bad words again! I swear!" Hoshinomiya-sensei was almost on the verge of tears now.

"What are you doing to my student?"

"I wasn't doing anything, I pinkie-promise!" she held out her little finger. "Keisuke-kun said that he had a date with you! So I was getting all jelly-jelly!"

Chabashira-sensei raised her eyebrows. "A... date?"

"Yeah, that's what he said!"

"I didn't say that!" I said incredulously.

"Hah, I love it when you get all flustered!" Hoshinomiya-sensei cooed. "Your cheeks become so pinchable and huggable and squeezable and --"

Another whack from the clipboard earned another screech from the perverted teacher, and she scooted away into the Staff Room, clutching her now-probably red buttock.

Chabashira-sensei sighed.

"Please excuse her."

"It's alright; this isn't something new."

"Wait, you mean she's done this to you before?"

"She never went this far. I guess sensei was just happy seeing me after so long," I said.

"I'd suggest you keep a distance of at least 10 meters from her at all times," Chabashira-sensei grumbled. "You wouldn't want to get violated now, right?"

"I don't think she actually can violate me..."

"Prevention is better than cure, Takeyama. Come in. I assume you have something you want to talk about?"

"I do. But I believe it's a sensitive topic. Perhaps we can do this in private?"

"But of course. Head over to my cubicle."

"Thank you, sensei."

Hoshinomiya-sensei peeked her head out from her cubicle door. "Now, now, Sae-chan, what exactly are you planning to do to my Keisuke-kun all alone, huh?"

"Shut up, Chie, and go back to your work."

"But my work currently is to spy on the 2 of you!" she proclaimed. "I cannot allow you to turn Keisuke-kun into a man without me!"

"..."

"I wouldn't actually mind a threesome, you know? Hmm... wait, I know! Why three, when it can be four! I'll call up Honami-chan!"

"Pass me the metal clipboard, Takeyama."

"No!! Not the dreaded metal clipboard!" Hoshinomiya-sensei screamed.

"You're dead, Chie."

A/N's:

Oh My God.

Creepsies has updated guys.

Also RIP Hoe-shinomiya-sensei.

Chapter 45 - Bookworm

"You murdered her, sensei..."

"She deserved it."

"But there was no need to have gone that far..."

"Why are you standing up for her? She almost raped you. Besides, she even had the audacity to call up a student from her class for intercourse."

"Such strong words, sensei..."

Our conversation was cut short by the primal groaning of Hoshinomiya-sensei, who was sprawled back on her chair, clutching her butt with both her hands.

"Sae-chan..."

"Shut up, pervert."

"You know I was joking..."

"But you pulled out your mobile phone to call Ichinose from your class, did you not? I'm afraid the call even might have connected," Chabashira-sensei retorted. "I wouldn't be surprised if Ichinose came down to the faculty office now."

"But I didn't tell her anything! You snatched my phone and assaulted me!" Hoshinomiya-sensei mumbled. "I'll file you for domestic violence, Sae-chan..."

"I think we can ignore her now, Takeyama," Chabashira-sensei replied, and she led me into her cubicle. She closed the door behind her.

I looked at the half-dead teacher one last time, before I turned to face my homeroom teacher.

"What is this private thing you wanted to talk about?" she got straight to the point.

"I'm sorry if I'm intruding, sensei, but do you mind telling me more about how 'Class C went to hell' during your years in this school?"

Chabashira-sensei stopped midway while sitting down in her chair, and silently stared at me.

"Why are you asking me this? I've said it before — I'm not liable to give you such confidential information."

"You lost 300 Class Points that year, am I right?"

Sensei widened her eyes, and almost tripped on her own heels. If I hadn't been there to catch her in time, she might have even injured herself.

"Sensei, are you alright?"

Never had I seen such a weak side of Chabashira-sensei before. She had completely rested her entire body weight onto me. I felt something soft brush and push against my chest, but this was not the time to be thinking about something like that.

"I'm... I'm fine. Just a little PTSD," sensei replied, and I helped her sit down on the chair. "Thank you," she mumbled.

"I'm sorry for bringing up such a sensitive topic, sensei. I'll take my leave."

"No, please don't," she breathed out, and she motioned for me to sit down as well.

Albeit a bit uncomfortable, I slowly took my seat in front of the teacher.

The silence in the room was overwhelming. Neither of us broke the silence.

"It was 9 years ago," sensei finally started. "We were in our last year of our Third Year, and we were in Class C. Chie was there as well.

There was a Special Exam held that year. It first came off as simple, but it soon turned into a nightmare for Class C. But it wasn't supposed to be that bad. Just one decision. One wrong decision from my side, pummeled my entire class. The boys were at each other throats, the girls were accusing each other of treachery. Class C was destroyed that year. Chie almost killed me that year. We shared dorms back then. I smashed the hopes and dreams of everyone in my class."

I quietly listened to Chabashira-sensei's story. I couldn't help but sympathize with her. The reason that she was so hell-bent on reaching Class A, the reason that she threatened me and Kiyotaka to try our hardest and aim for Class A, slowly made sense to me.

It is an unfulfilled desire of the beautiful woman in front of me.

She never reached Class A, so as a teacher, she wanted to reach her class to reach Class A.

"Why did you suddenly bring this up though? And how did you know we lost 300 Class Points that year?" sensei asked me. "Surely you cannot know the details of this Special Exam?"

"Of course not. I do not know anything about this exam except for the results. I don't even know what this Exam is called," I replied. "Maybe I'll just show you."

Saying so, I pulled out the folded piece of paper from my pocket, and slid it across the table towards my teacher. She reached out with her thin, long fingers, and grasped the paper tightly.

She slowly opened the folded paper, her hands trembling with every movement. She widened her eyes when she read through the paper, and she turned to look at me.

"How... where did you..." she was at a loss for words.

"I don't think that really matters, sensei. But I assure you that I did not break any rules while accessing this paper," I confirmed. "I found it legally and legitimately."

"I... I can see that. I don't know how you would have gotten your hands on this otherwise..."

"I assume you're not allowed to disclose the rules of this Special Exam to me?"

"... I am definitely not allowed to disclose any information regarding Special Exams, something that could potentially change the outcome of the class rankings," she replied.

I nodded in understanding. "I see. Thank you for your time, sensei. I believe you can keep that piece of paper with you if you want to."

She shook her head, and took my hand in hers. She slid the paper into my hands, and closed them to form a fist.

"You keep it. I don't need to be reminded of what happened that day every time I look at this sheet."

"Very well. I'll hold onto it, then," I said, and I excused myself.

"One last question before you leave," sensei stopped me. "Do you have a plan for the Paper Shuffle this time?"

I stared back into sensei's eyes. Her eyes had changed over the few months I had stayed here. Starting out from cold, emotionless and cunning, they had changed to that of regret, despair and sadness.

But there was still hope in her eyes.

A tiny fire flickered in those eyes, a fire that burns brighter, one that fuels your desire.

I smiled a bit at the teacher.

"Sit back and watch, sensei. You're gonna be Class C's homeroom teacher next term."

"Do you have any plans for the Paper Shuffle Exam coming up, Takeyama-kun?" a sweet, angelic voice asked me.

I was currently in the library, reading books and perhaps, on a date(?) with Shiina Hiyori from Class C. It had been a while since we'd caught up. We never usually have the chance to meet, seeing that I'm the Class D Leader, but we've kept contact through text messages.

"Plans? I don't think I can really tell you that, Shiina-san," I said as I smiled. "As much as I trust you, I don't think I should even be revealing class matters in the first place."

"That's no problem!" she said happily, as she clasped her hands together. "I understand that you do much for your Class, Takeyama-kun. It honestly keeps me going."

"How does that keep you going?" I asked, perplexed.

"Well, you see, it doesn't matter that you're from another class," Shiina said, as she cutely placed her finger on her chin. "The fact that my friend is trying is hardest to help his class gives me motivation to do something for my class as well!"

I inwardly screamed at this comment. How can someone be so cute and innocent without doing it on purpose?

"I suppose that's a good thing," I said. "You have any books you can recommend to me, Shiina-san?"

"Of course!" she clapped her hands in glee, and rummaged through her obviously-heavy looking bag. "What genre are you interested in?"

"... romance."

"Romance?" A question mark formed over Shiina's head. "I didn't know you were into romance novels, Takeyama-kun."

"I'm not," I corrected her. "But I want to start reading them. Maybe I should start with something generic?"

"Yes!" she said excitedly. "Have you read 'The Fault In Our Stars' by John Green?"

"Ohh, I've heard of that one. It's where the dude actually has cancer and then--"

"Bad Takeyama-kun!" she screeched, and she placed her hand over my mouth, preventing me from going on ahead. "Never, I repeat never, read the synopsis of a book! There are always chances of it getting spoiled!"

"Mphfmhpmfphmfhfmp," I said. "Cwaf vyu pwease let mwe gwo?"

Shiina removed her hand from over my mouth, and I rubbed my face. "Well, I don't even know what happens in the end, so I can give it a try."

"Then here!" she magically pulled out said book from her bag. "Read it!"

"... you had it in your bag?"

"I have many books in my bag!" she said happily. "Here! Another one called 'The Thorn Birds' by Colleen McCullough! It's a romance classic!"

"... never heard of it."

"Haw!?" she dramatically falls back into her chair. "Oh, the horror!"

"Yes, I wanted to read some horror novels as well."

"No!" she pouts. "You've got to read romance first!"

"Alright, I'll read these 2," I said. Shiina dug into her bag and pulled out the second book she recommended as well. "Here! Have fun!"

The rest of the evening passed amicably with me and Shiina talking about books and authors and a bunch of different topics.

But not even once did we touch upon the topic of Class battles. Sometimes it's just better to let loose and not think about all that for once.

I bid farewell to Shiina, and headed back to my dorm room.

"You've told everyone about it, right?" Horikita asked me in class. "We can't have anyone other than the 3 idiots and Inogashira-san score a perfect 0."

"I know, I know," I dismissed her. "I've already warned everyone else. No need to worry."

"Good."

The tsundere carried herself away with a demeanor befitting royalty. I sighed, and turned around to look at the rest of the class.

"I'll be giving out the question papers now," Chabashira-sensei said. "Do not turn them over until I ask you to do so. You will have 3 hours to solve 100 questions. All the best."

The gong struck 10, and we started writing the exams.

I turned my paper over.

I narrowed my eyes in surprise.

These questions.

They're a bit too easy.

This was definitely the school's plan. The school wanted us to figure out from beforehand that this test would be used to determine the pairs that will be formed for the main exam, and made it easy enough so that we could easily manipulate our scores.

I just hope Kiyotaka gets something in the higher spectrum. There'd be one less pair to worry about in that case.

I sighed again, and proceeded to speed run through the paper.

A/N's:

A shorter chapter. Oops.

Also, I've decided to rope in something called episodic chapters! (completely non-canon). They'll be one-shots of reader x some CoTE waifu.

But don't hope for lemons.

I don't know how to write them. :(

Thank you for reading! Cheers.

Chapter 46 - Backroom Deal

Just as I had expected, the results came back the very next day, and so did the pairings for the upcoming Midterm test.

And it was evidently clear that my hypothesis was correct.

All the bottom-ranked students had been paired up along with the top honor students.

Yukimura, Horikita, Mii-chan, Hirata, Kouenji and I had scored a brilliant 100 in the short test. Kiyotaka had scored 76. It was still much higher than I had anticipated he would score, but it wasn't enough to be paired up with someone who would end up needing help.

I had been paired alongside Inogashira Kokoro.

Well, that much was expected. I would have had to be paired with one of the students who had scored a zero. Ike had been paired with Yukimura, Sudo had been paired with Horikita, and Yamauchi had been paired along with Mii-chan.

Kiyotaka had been paired with Maya Sato.

Interesting.

It reminded me of how Sato-san had been talking to Kiyotaka the last time I saw them.

I made a mental note to tease him the next time we met.

"Umm, T-Takeyama-kun, we've been p-paired together," Inogashira-san approached me meekly. "Let's do o-our best!"

I smiled at the confident girl. Even though Inogashira-san was not the brightest student in class, I had grown fond of her because she was always trying her hardest.

"Yes, Inogashira-san. I'll be relying on you."

"Y-y-yes!" she managed to stutter back, before she stumbled back to her desk.

Horikita approached me after the results had been declared.

"It seems you were right. It really is based on creating the most balanced pairs."

"When have I ever been wrong?"

Horikita looked at me like I was the most disgusting entity to roam the planet, but then changed her expression, and sighed.

"Even though I want to plainly refute your statement, you have evidence and claims to back it up," she replied. "So should we start off with the study groups? There's much to be done."

"Can you take charge of that? I'm kinda lazy right now."

"You're the most incorrigible person I've ever met," she muttered under her breath, and she left to talk to Yosuke about the study groups.

"Ne ne, Kei-chan, you were paired along with Kokoro-chan right?"

I turned my face to look at Chiaki Matsushita, who was staring daggers at my direction. I gulped.

"Who's Kokoro-chan?"

"What!? Kokoro-chan! Kokoro Inogashira!"

"Oh, so her first name is Kokoro, huh..."

"You're really mean, you know that? You're supposed to know everyone's name in the class, at least," she puffed out her chest.

Nevertheless, I could see a hint of a smirk form across her face.

Girls are scary.

I walked over to the designated meeting spot.

"This is such a secluded area..."

I glanced at my mobile phone once again. The sender specifically had asked me to meet them behind the Special Building. Not even inside the building, behind the building.

It made sense to assume that this conversation was probably going to be important.

At first, I thought it would be a confession, but receiving such a plain, simple text message and assuming it is a confession was the last mistake I wanted to make.

Nevertheless, I was prepared for any situation. I even had a reason with which I could reject.

I could see a shadow move across the building behind the tree, and they finally showed up in front of me.

Hiroya Tokito, Class 1-C.

I did not expect to see him here.

I don't think I've ever talked to him in my school life yet. I remember he was paired alongside Ryuuen for the three-legged race when Miyake and I raced against them.

And if I remember correctly, he was the leader of the faction that opposed Ryuuen's iron-clad rule.

Of course, not exactly a faction. More like an idea. Ryuuen suppresses any sort of offensive moves against him. So it was very unnatural for there to actually be some sort of resistance against Ryuuen.

Which means I know where I can expect this conversation to head to.

The young man walked towards me briskly, and stopped a few meters away from me.

"Thank you for coming, Takeyama-kun."

"No problem. You're Hiroya Tokito, from Class C, if I'm right?"

"It seems I don't need to introduce myself. I was the one who called you here. I have some important things to talk to you about."

"I... figured that out."

"Yes," he said crisply. "I'll cut to the point. I have a deal for you."

A deal, huh?

"I'm listening."

"I want you to take out Ryuuen for me."

Out of all the goddamn things I had prepared for, this was not one of them. I was initially taken back at the sudden proposal.

"I know what it sounds like. But please hear me out."

For all I know, this was a definite trap set up by Ryuuen. Had he sent Tokito as a spy, posing to actually work against Ryuuen?

But I knew for sure that Tokito was indeed against Ryuuen and his policies. I've heard of quite a few breakouts in Class C from Shiina-san herself, and they were all caused by conflicts and differences in opinions and strategies.

There's no harm in me listening to him, at least.

"It seems a bit sketchy to me, but go on," I said in a bored voice.

"I understand. I'm here with a proposal. I want you to take down Ryuuen in the next Special Exam. And for that, I need Class D to attack Class C and ask them questions."

"Why should I listen to you? There is no guarantee that you're telling me the truth. I could also assume that you're working undercover for Class C."

"There is no way for me to quell these doubts that you have. They're genuine, after all," Tokito answered. "But I can provide sufficient proof. As long as I can produce evidence that I really am working against Class C, you'll believe me, right?"

"... I see. Why did you approach me, though? I believe you had several other classes as options as well."

"They're options only in name. There is no point in asking Class B. Ichinose-san will never agree to my idea. She despises underhanded methods. In Class A right now, it is tense whether Sakayanagi or Katsuragi is the real Leader. Besides, the chances of either of them accepting my deal is low."

"And you think the chances of me accepting your proposition is high?"

"It is higher than the other 2 classes, at least," he deadpanned. "But working with you comes with its own risks, I will admit it."

"Then why are you trying to work with me?" I asked curiously. "If you know that I'm not a very favorable opponent to have, then why do you want to work with me?"

"You answered your own question," Tokito stated. "It's because you're such a dangerous opponent that I want to collude along with you. I want Class C to lose this Exam. I want Class C to understand that Ryuuen's tactics do not hold in the long run."

It seemed that Tokito had a way with words. He wasn't backing down in spite of my relentless questioning.

"You don't hold back when it comes to Ryuuen. What do you have against him?"

"What do I have against him? You're asking me that?" he scoffed. "All his methods are underhanded. He rules his class with just his opinion. It's a bloody dictatorship. We have absolutely no say in class affairs."

Tokito's anger was genuine. I could sense real malice behind those words.

I decided to cut straight to the chase.

"Tell me this proposal of yours."

"I want you to attack Class C during this Paper Shuffle Exam. In return, I will give you all the questions that we prepare for the battle beforehand."

On surface, this seemed to be a sweet deal.

All I had to do was attack Class C, which I was planning to do anyways. In return, if I accept Tokito's idea, then our class will have the upper hand, and we'll be able to score much higher than Class C on an average.

But I still had to iron out a few details with Tokito.

"Let me get one thing straight — you do understand the implications of what you are doing?"

"Of course. I have come to you after thinking and analyzing every bit of information and tactic that I could think about," said Tokito. "You're talking about the Class Points, aren't you?"

"You catch on fast. Currently, Class D is at 433 Class Points. Class C has 442 CP. If we win this Paper Shuffle Exam with your help, we'll receive 50 Points from your Class, one each for attacking and defending."

"I understand. We'll be left over reeling at 333 Class Points, while Class D will have 542 Class Points. You'll be promoted to Class C."

"... you don't seem too disappointed."

"I'm not," Tokito said forcefully. "It is exactly what I want. I want everyone to understand that Ryuuen is a bad leader. Even if others are too scared to voice their own opinions, as long as someone proactive is willing to shell out Class Points for the extended benefit of the Class, I won't hesitate to turn traitor."

This was taking quite an interesting turn. I did not see any harm in accepting Tokito's proposal.

"I think that I'm willing to work with you. The enemy of your enemy is your friend, after all."

"I'm glad we think along the same lines, Takeyama-kun. However, there is just one condition that I would like to impose if we must continue this deal."

Hmm. So Tokito left out the condition until the very end, and revealed it only when I had already accepted the deal.

A common psychological and negotiation tactic.

You leave out the condition that would most likely cause the other person to drop the deal with you right until the end.

According to human psychology, if a person has already accepted something, then the chances of them declining the offer right after was much lesser when a newer condition was imposed.

So I can conclude one thing from here already.

"I don't want you to tell this to anybody in your class," Tokito said, interrupting my thoughts. "If word gets out to Ryuuen, I'm toast."

Just what I had expected the condition to be.

He did not want me to convey this secret alliance to anyone in Class 1-D.

He left out this important piece of information until I had accepted the deal so that I wouldn't back out of it when I am informed about it.

If I do back out right now, it would make it look like that I backed out of the deal just because of this condition. In other words, it would be an open invitation, saying that 'I'm gonna go tell this to everyone'.

So this was the final lock.

To prevent me from backing out of the deal.

I decided to play along.

"That's not an issue. I wasn't planning to tell anyone anyways."

"Then I think we're done here," Tokito said crisply. "I don't think lingering here any longer is intended. There could be prying eyes anywhere."

As though to confirm his statement, Tokito looked around to check for anyone's presence, and then immediately turned back and left me all alone behind the building.

Quite the sweet deal I've found for myself.

A/N's:

A short chapter cuz I don't really know how to extend this conversation to be any longer :)

Thank you for reading! I'll try and post another chapter within the next 2 days. Cheers.

Chapter 47 - Queen

"It's quite unnatural for you to call me out when there isn't an occasion," I said in a bored voice.

"Fufu. Can I not hope to be friends with the one person I've grown to respect and admire?" a soft but commanding voice responded.

"I guess you could. But I don't want rumors to spread."

Sakayanagi and I were currently walking towards the Pallet. This was pretty much the first time the 2 of us had talked to each other, barring the time in the Special Building, after the Sports Festival.

Sakayanagi is a very interesting person.

Not only does she know about the White Room, she knows of the people within it as well. However, it would seem that she did not know the specifications of anything within the White Room.

Furthermore, she has never seen me prior to meeting in this school. She had, however, seen Kiyotaka before. I can safely assume that she has then been to the Eastern Wing of the White Room only.

I didn't know that place even allowed visitors.

I needed to revaluate the power that Sakayanagi held with her at the moment.

She could release information at any time, and Kiyotaka and I would be forced to take drastic measures to subdue the upheaval and wait for the storm to pass.

However, it was very unlikely that Sakayanagi would expose us. There is no merit in doing so. If the White Room becomes known to the common man, it could lead to something much more severe than just normal gossip.

The White Room does not respect human rights in the slightest. If word got out to the rest of the world about the treatment that we students received when we were a part of their experiment, it could be disastrous.

We walked into the Pallet, completely oblivious to our surroundings. It looked like Sakayanagi really wasn't hiding the fact that she was meeting up with the Class D Leader.

"It's completely filled..." I muttered.

Like always, the Pallet was one of the busiest places on campus. It is extremely famous among the females across all the years, which was evidently seen.

Luckily, right at the corner of the café, was an empty seat for 2. I quickly slid up to the spot and occupied the seats, and allowed Sakayanagi to slowly take her seat as well.

"It feels surreal to finally be with you in such a conducive environment, Takeyama-kun," she said soothingly. "I've always wanted this to happen from the bottom of my heart."

"I'm glad."

"You don't seem very," she said, and she bent forward to come a little closer to me. "Maybe I'm boring you, Takeyama-kun?"

"Not at all. I'm just a bit curious as to why Kamuro-san has been standing there by the entrance of Pallet watching over us," I said in a disgruntled voice. "Just so you know, I'm not planning to do anything to you."

Sakayanagi let out a quiet, hearty laugh. "It seems she has been caught. Don't worry about a thing, Takeyama-kun. I trust you whole-heartedly. I can send her away if that what you'd like."

"I don't really mind her standing there. After all, she helps you move around freely, doesn't she?"

"She does. Masumi-san sure is a great help," she said. "Say, Takeyama-kun. Enough talk about Masumi-san. Why don't you tell me more about yourself?"

"More about myself?"

"I understand if you don't want to, though. After all, your past in not something that can be easily revealed to the world," she said slowly, carefully choosing her words.

"Then you might as well not ask," I deadpanned. "Tell me more about yourself, Sakayanagi-san. You know about 'that place'. How? I want answers."

Sakayanagi merely chuckled under her calm exterior.

"Getting impatient, are we?"

"I am, indeed. It is a serious matter for something like this to get revealed to an outsider."

"Outsider? Your words wound me, Takeyama-kun. But yes, I merely am an outsider in that white world of yours," she said, resting her cane by the side of the chair. "But I have no intention of ever becoming one with that place. I just cannot see how someone without any natural talent can become a genius just if they work hard. It trumps nature's predetermined notion of evolution and extinction."

I slowly bent forward. "You seem to believe in natural talent an awful lot."

"I do, indeed. I find it hardly amusing that someone who has been born to dominate the world get undermined by the outdated notion of hard work." Her words cut like knife through butter, leaving no space or time for a comeback.

"But here I am, am I not?" I said with a smirk on my face. "I'm living proof that you don't need to be a born with good genes to become a genius. Hard work trumps genes."

"You cannot convince me with your words, Takeyama-kun, even though you have a way with them," she smiled. "I can merely state that you indeed WERE born with superior genes. That is the reason that your hard work paid off. Consider a person who did not have such genes. They'd collapse under the White Room curriculum."

"You talk like you know what we were taught."

"Fufu. It is just a hunch. I have no idea what they teach you in that place," she said smugly. "But I'm positive that it isn't something that the normal human is capable of."

"I see. I'm surprised you were even allowed," I muttered under my breath.

"My father has quite the connections, you know," she said. "I merely tagged along with him to the place."

"You say you saw Ayanokoji Kiyotaka there?"

She smiled, as though remembering a sweet memory. "Indeed. I saw him for the first time behind that glass screen. It was such a breathtaking sight — watching him mercilessly destroy his opponents one after another, I mean."

"Hmm? Was he sparring?"

"No, silly. He was playing chess," she said. "He was completely dominating his opponents. Choking their kings into the corner of the board. I was motivated to pick up the game after watching him.

My goal is to beat you in chess, Takeyama-kun."

Huh? Me?

"But why me?" I asked genuinely. The coffee we had ordered had arrived. "Wouldn't it make more sense to, say, try and beat Kiyotaka himself?"

"But that is what is most expected, is it not?" she said sweetly. "Beating Ayanokoji-kun comes after beating you."

"Are you underestimating me, Sakayanagi-san?"

"Fufu. I did not mean to, Takeyama-kun. I feel like it is the highest honor I could bestow upon you. If I cannot beat you, I cannot beat Ayanokoji-kun. But it works the other way as well. If I cannot beat Ayanokoji-kun, I cannot beat you. Both of you are on a level I can only try to reach."

"Then would you fancy a chess game right now?" I asked.

"Why, it seems you are itching to prove your superiority to me," she teased me. "But I cannot decline such a well-mannered challenge from one of my idols. I accept your challenge, Takeyama-kun."

"Very well. Shall we go to the library, then?"

"I'd love to, Takeyama-kun. Please do not let me slow you down." She slowly trembled getting up from the chair, and found support in her trusty cane.

I extended my right arm towards Sakayanagi-san's free left hand. She merely snickered at my gesture.

"You remind me of how much of a gentleman you really are, Takeyama-kun. Thank you."

Saying so, she lightly clasped my right hand with her left, and we left the Pallet to curious stares drilling into my back.

"Also, is she gonna follow us to the library as well? I don't really mind if she revealed herself. I'm talking about Kamuro-san, of course," I said begrudgingly.

"Fufu. Do you feel like she is interrupting our precious time?"

"I did not say that..."

Damn. This girl is delusional.

We reached the library, and proceeded over to the empty table with a chess board neatly arranged with the pieces already.

"It seems the last person here was courteous enough to rearrange the pieces after usage," Sakayanagi said in an admirable tone. "It saves us time."

"It does indeed. Shall we begin?"

She nodded curtly, and I proceeded to pick up 2 pawns in my hand, one black and another white. I shuffled the 2 pawns behind my back, and held out 2 closed fists in front of me.

"Pick a hand."

"Left."

The reply came about 2 seconds after I had held out my fists.

I opened up my balled left hand.

In it, was the white pawn.

"So I'll be playing black," I said dismissively. "Let's have a good game, Sakayanagi-san."

"I look forward to it, Takeyama-kun."

We took our seats on opposite sides of the table, and started the game.

Sakayanagi stretched out her right hand, and played the Queen's Pawn 2 steps forward. A very strong opening move for white.

I responded with my Queen's Pawn. One of the most solid defenses for Black against White's Queen Pawn.

Sakayanagi pushed her bishop's pawn forward.

A Classic Queen's Gambit Game.

"Fufu." I heard the petite girl smile under her pretty face. "You're analyzing the game already? Even though we've only played 1 move till now?"

"My pride is on the line, Sakayanagi-san," I said with a smile. "I never underestimate my opponents."

"I'm glad you don't, Takeyama-kun. Wouldn't be an interesting game otherwise."

I responded with the Albin's Countergambit.

*

It had been 10 minutes. The game had progressed wildly. After an early Queen exchange, the game was slightly tilted in Sakayanagi's favor.

But I wasn't going to let her win that easy.

"This is an intense game, Takeyama-kun," Sakayanagi-san stared at the board in front of her. "I'm running out of good moves to play. Till now we've only exchanged material."

"It is proof that we are both good players. It will take more than just that to snatch a game."

"Fufu."

She laughed at my comment, and played her pawn forward.

"A discovered check, huh..."

*

"Wow. I'm certainly impressed..."

Sakayanagi-san continued to stare at her now-cornered king.

"One mistake, and it wasn't even that bad... you took advantage of that, and completely trapped me in a corner. More than half of the pieces are still in play, but there's no escape..."

"It was a good game though, Sakayanagi-san," I said. "You almost had me at one point."

"Almost. But I could not beat you. I was thoroughly bested. You're leagues above me, Takeyama-kun. It indeed is scary to think that I'm pitted against you as a co-Class Leader."

"You think of me too highly. I just play the move that looks good. There is nothing else in chess. You just need to think."

"I've learned a lot about you today, Takeyama-kun," she said regally. "Thank you for complying to my request. It indeed was very fun hanging out with you today. I hope we can do so again."

She slowly got up from her seat, and bowed down in my direction, slightly lifting her skirt. I gasped at the sudden formality.

"You don't have to do that," I said. "I had fun as well. We can surely hang out more."

"Well then, Takeyama-kun. I'll take my leave. Go back safely. But of course, I don't think you'll be needing that," she said with a smirk on her face, and she headed out into the corridor.

I could hear slight whispering behind the corridor, which was probably Kamuro-san waiting for her there.

I sighed, and left to go back to the dormitories, ignoring my stalkers.

Chapter 47.5 - Quest [Bonus]

(Third Person POV)

"No no no no no no no no no..."

After putting on her sunglasses and hat, Maya Sato slowly backed into a more comfortable position on the table at Pallet.

Suddenly, the phone in her hand started ringing, and she picked it up almost immediately.

"Agent Maya, Subject is almost there. Keep your guard up! Over." a sultry voice cooed from the other end of the line.

"Agent Kei, Roger. Currently waiting for further instructions. Out."

Maya slowly slipped her phone back into her pocket.

This was getting intense.

Never before had Maya undertaken such a daring mission.

Suddenly, the bells on the door of the Pallet jingled, signaling the arrival of new customers. Maya quickly glanced at the door, and after realizing they weren't the target, lowered her head back into the book in her hand.

A few more minutes pass.

The bells on the door jingled once again. Maya's eyes darted up to the door, and she gasped and turned to face her book once again.

Her phone in her pocket rang again, and she picked it up like she knew it was coming.

"Agent Maya. Target has arrived. Initialize Operation Break-Up. Over."

"Agent Kei, Roger. Over."

Maya again slowly slid her phone back into her handbag. She sighed for the umpteenth time that glorious Saturday evening.

"Damn it, Takeyama-kun... you can't be doing this..." Maya muttered under her breath, and she followed Takeyama and Sakayanagi with her eyes.

"Out of all the girls, he had to choose her..."

The misunderstanding that Kei Karuizawa had created was brutal.

It seemed that both Kei and Maya were aware of Chiaki Matsushita's huge crush on Keisuke Takeyama.

But the three of them were anonymously tipped off on Keisuke Takeyama's meeting with Sakayanagi Arisu of Class A.

The identity of the anonymous tipper continues to remain a mystery.

However, Kei Karuizawa decided to take matters into her own hands.

The number one objective — to disband Takeyama and Sakayanagi before they made out with each other.

The objective of the plan seemed to have had an adverse effect on Chiaki, however, who was currently experiencing torrential symptoms of an imaginary heartbreak.

Maya Sato had been roped in as the spy to follow Takeyama's movements.

However, from the looks of it, it did not seem like Takeyama was going to do anything to her.

Maya Sato had tried many times to convince Kei that Takeyama would never do anything lewd to Sakayanagi, but Kei was adamant.

We must help Chiaki get together with Takeyama, was what she had said. No lilac-haired petite can stop the true blossoming of love, she said.

Also, I don't trust boys, was Kei Karuizawa's final statement.

Maya Sato had no response to this fierce lady.

Kei's words had made an impact on her.

Maya Sato decided that she must be the one to rid Takeyama's soul of all evil.

Seeing her close friend Chiaki completely lose it when she heard of Takeyama's 'date' with Sakayanagi, she could not help but sympathize.

She wondered if Ayanokoji would one day feel the same way about her.

Maya Sato slowly took out her earphone, and plugged it into one ear. She kept the other ear free. She dialed a number, and the call connected almost immediately.

"Agent Maya."

"Agent Kei. Targets have arrived. They've taken seats at the corner of the café. Should I confront? Over."

"Agent Maya. No, do not confront. I repeat, do not confront. Continue to maintain a close watch. Any signs of mutual affection must be immediately terminated. Over."

"Wait, Agent Kei, but how...!?" But the dial tone buzzed in Maya Sato's ear.

"Damn it, you blondie...!"

Maya Sato cursed at her phone. She now resented taking over the hardest part of the mission. Kei Karuizawa was outside the Pallet, inside the café right across the street from the Pallet.

Maya Sato connected her call once again.

"Maya-chan, what is it!?" an annoyed voice rang out in her ears.

"Kei-chan, don't leave me hanging!" Maya whispered furiously, while simultaneously keeping an eye on the two possible lovebirds. "I can't do this alone! What's the point of sitting across the café if you don't even keep in contact!?"

"... you're right. We must monitor the target's movements. Have either of them done anything suspicious yet?"

Maya looked around her furtively, and spoke a bit slower into the microphone. "Nope, they haven't done anything. I'm starting to wonder if this really even is a date."

"Of course it is a date!" Kei screamed silently into the microphone. "Think about it!"

"I think you need to go over it once, Kei-chan," Maya said. "They're both Class Leaders. Maybe that's why they're meeting...?"

"Ab. So. Lute. Ly. Not." Kei said with pauses. "It is definitely a date. They're gonna make out if we don't stop them. Remember our promise, Maya-chan?"

Maya was curtly reminded of the extremely impactful promise that the two of them had so faithfully made.

'To make sure your friend gets the right boy, you must become the cockblocker.'

Maya Sato inwardly sighed at the notorious promise they had made. It sounded more like they were here to ruin someone's life, not build it.

Nevertheless, Maya Sato was a woman of her words.

Suddenly, she saw the female Target slowly stand up from her chair, owing to her disability.

Maya Sato connected a call to Kei Karuizawa once again.

"They're leaving!" Maya whispered into the mouthpiece. "How can a date be only for 20 minutes!?"

"Oh no..." Kei muttered from the other end.

"So you realize now, don't you? It isn't a date!" Maya almost screamed this time. "Do you finally understa--"

"This is bad..."

Maya Sato perked up.

"What is bad?"

"I can't believe it... they're gonna... they're..." Kei continued to blabber inconceivable nonsense.

"Kei-chan, speak up!"

"The only reason a date can end this early is because they're already very close," Kei whispered, and Maya Sato's stomach dropped. "They're... they're going to do the deed."

"Do... the deed...!?"

Maya Sato's face immediately flushed a vivid pink.

She had just imagined something extremely lewd.

From where she was sitting, she could make out Kei Karuizawa's figure on the other of the street, and she was completely a blushing mess as well.

Takeyama-kun... the strong, athletic, handsome, perfect Takeyama-kun... was going to do it to someone as frail and weak as Sakayanagi...?

Maya's body involuntarily shivered. She felt extremely sorry for Sakayanagi. She was sure that Sakayanagi would probably not be able to handle it...

Bad Maya! No ecchi!

Maya Sato suddenly regained her senses.

Of course this was all a bunch of baloney!

No one would do it this early!

Yes! Kei Karuizawa was being a jerk!

"It was just Class Affairs," Maya said to herself, and she proceeded to walk out of the Pallet herself. "Nothing to even worry about..."

Maya Sato's heart rose up to the throat.

In front of her, in front of the entire crowd at the Pallet, Takeyama-kun had just extended his right hand as support to Sakayanagi Arisu.

And Sakayanagi smiled and grasped it.

"They're holding hands...!"

Maya whisper-screamed into the mouthpiece. "Kei-chan, come in!"

"I know, I know! I can see it all the way from here!" Kei muttered into the microphone. "This is getting really bad... Chiaki-chan would probably fall down and die if she saw this..."

"I know! Agent Maya, stop them immediately!" Kei's voice echoed into Maya's ear.

"..."

Even though Maya had promised that she would be the cockblocker, she was terrified.

Sakayanagi-san was just such an unapproachable woman.

She would probably label Maya Sato as an insignificant fly and squash her underfoot.

Moreover, Maya could not do something so drastic in front of a crowd.

She felt like the most useless friend in this world.

Sorry, Chiaki-chan. We lost him. Soldier down.

No!

What was Maya thinking!

No way would she let down a friend like this!

"I'm following them," Maya whispered into the microphone, and she proceeded to head out of the café.

"Wait! Abort mission, abort mission!" Kei's voice entered from the other end.

"I'm sorry, Agent Kei. Sacrifices must be made to achieve your goals. I'm going ahead, over."

"No! Maya-chan, unexpected circumstances! Don't go ahead! This is an order from your commander!"

"... I don't have a commander, Agent Kei."

Right now, Maya felt like a rogue spy. She didn't actually want to follow the couple, she just wanted to know what it felt like to go rogue.

"She's screwed..." Kei muttered under her breath. "We lost 2 valuable soldiers in one day... a disgrace... a dent on my career."

"Maya-chan!" an annoying voice rang in to Maya's earpiece again. "We must see this through to the end!"

"See this... to the end?"

"Continue to follow them! They just left the café hand-in-hand!" Kei Karuizawa screamed.

"That's what I was planning to do! But I don't want to be a voyeur!"

"We must do things that are not meant to do, Maya-chan." Maya Sato could almost see Kei Karuizawa giggling devilishly at her. "Follow them, pronto!"

"... fine."

Maya Sato immediately slurped down the remainder of her now-cold coffee, and dashed out into the street outside the café.

"Huh?"

Bash!

Maya Sato crashed into something very soft.

"Mmhmphmphmhpmh..."

So...

Soft...

Huh?

Maya yanked her face out of the fluffy cushion of boobas, and turned to look at the person she had dashed into.

"What are you doing?"

Standing in front of her was a girl with long, purple hair, tied into a bun on the side of her head. Her voice was calm and commanding. If Maya remembers correctly, this was Kamuro-san from Class 1-A.

Suddenly, Maya remembered that this was the girl who always hung around Sakayanagi!

Shit!

She's her bodyguard!

No, Maya thought. She can't be a bodyguard. Won't it make more sense to bring someone, let's say, who's stronger? Why was she here, then?

It then clicked. It all made sense.

Kamuro-san was checking whether Takeyama-kun was a good match for Sakayanagi!

She had come out of close consideration for a friend.

How sweet! Maya internally screamed.

"I'm doing the same thing that you are," Maya said proudly to the purple haired waifu. "But we may have different hopes for this young blooming love!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"What?"

"Don't worry, don't worry!" Maya squealed excitedly. "I completely understand how worried you are for your friend! Thing is, I am too! Hey, I've got an idea! You're like, following them too, right? Let's go together then!"

Kamuro widened her eyes.

"Wait, what are you talking abo--"

"Come on, the early bird gets the worm!" Maya screamed, and she dragged off the poor Masumi Kamuro along with her. "We'll make sure that this couple is the last thing that happens in this goddamn universe!"

To say Kamuro Masumi was confuzzled was an understatement.

"Shh... don't make a sound, Masumi-chan," Maya said in an adorable squeaky voice, and hid behind the Entrance Door to the Library.

Masumi Kamuro continued to stare incomprehensibly at Maya Sato. What was this girl even doing?

"Wha...? They're playing chess?" Maya asked in a surprised tone. "Who plays chess on a date?"

"... a date?"

Maya turned around to face her partner-in-crime. "Yeah, date! Who plays chess on a date?"

"But this isn't a date," Masumi calmly informed Maya. "They're just simply talking about Class Affairs, from what I've heard."

"Ab. So. Lute. Ly. Not," Maya stretched each and every syllable. "It's almost definitely a date! Sakayanagi-san was lying to you!"

"She wouldn't lie to me about something so trivial," Masumi said. Our purple-haired waifu was getting impatient. "If it was a date, Sakayanagi would be much happier than she is right now."

"Happier...? Wait, you mean Sakayanagi-san really is aiming for Takeyama-kun!?" Maya asked dramatically, and she fell back. "Oh, the horror!"

"I don't know what that girl even thinks of half the time," Masumi mumbled. "She's just so mysterious..."

"Woah look, Takeyama-kun is playing the black pieces!" Maya whispered excitedly. "Wait, if Takeyama-kun loses, then will Sakayanagi-san lose interest in him and leave him alone...?"

Maya had just had a brainwave!

"Yes! The only thing we can hope for now is that Takeyama-kun loses this game!"

"That's gonna happen anyways," Masumi said with an air of superiority. "He's up against Sakayanagi, after all. Even if he's the infamous leader of Class D, he can't win against her."

"Don't underestimate Takeyama-kun, big boobs," Maya warned her accomplice. "You never know what's gonna happen until it happens!"

"Big boobs...!?" Masumi was taken aback at Maya's blatant honesty. She slowly looked down at her breasts.

"Are they too... big?" She thought to herself. Surely, they weren't too big, right? I mean, take Sakayanagi, for example.

"Woah..."

Masumi looked at Maya, who was intently gazing at the pair playing chess. "I don't even know what's going on..."

Masumi sighed at her incompetence, and proceeded to peek into the Library as well. She noticed the positioning of the pieces on the board, and widened her eyes.

"This is... no way..."

"What?! Are they making out!?" Maya screamed, and she glanced into the Room once again. "Where!?"

"No, it's... Takeyama's completely annihilating Sakayanagi... never before had I imagined a day would come when someone would actually beat Sakayanagi in chess..."

Masumi did not know much about chess, but she knew who was winning if she looked at the board.

"Wow. I'm certainly impressed..."

Sakayanagi-san said this to Takeyama-kun. Was the game over?, Masumi thought.

"One mistake, and it wasn't even that bad... you took advantage of that, and completely trapped me in a corner. More than half of the pieces are still in play, but there's no escape..."

"Looks like Takeyama-kun won," Maya smirked. "Ha! Class D for the win!"

"It was a good game though, Sakayanagi-san," the calm, mature voice of Takeyama echoed. "You almost had me at one point."

"So... nice..."

Masumi shivered at his voice. How can someone be so commanding and yet so cool at the same time?

"Masumi-chan, you're thinking of something lewd, aren't you?"

Masumi felt her cheeks heat up. "Wha...!? No! Why would I be thinking of something like that!?"

"I don't know. It looked like that to me," Maya said in a disgruntled tone. "Don't you dare try to aim for Takeyama-kun while Chiaki-chan is still alive... you're probably planning to seduce him with those big boobas..."

How mean! Masumi wanted to pinch and tickle Maya to death right now.

"Almost. But I could not beat you. I was thoroughly bested. You're leagues above me, Takeyama-kun. It indeed is scary to think that I'm pitted against you as a co-Class Leader."

"Wait, is the date over!?" Maya sighed a sigh of relief. "Phew! They didn't do anything naughty. Can't imagine what would happen if they did!"

Masumi looked curiously at Takeyama. Did he really beat Sakayanagi in chess? She now came to understand why Sakayanagi herself had taken such a keen interest in him.

He was a nice boy... he was handsome, had a cool voice, was really smart...

No!

Masumi rid her head of all evil.

"Wait, they're coming this way!" Maya screamed. "Take care, Masumi-chan! I need to scram! And don't you dare try to seduce Takeyama-kun!"

And with that, Maya dashed off down the hallway.

"Masumi-san, is something the matter?" Sakayanagi's voice floated into her ear, and Masumi turned to look at her.

"No, nothing. Let's go."

With that, the mission had come to an end.

Kei Karuizawa (Private Chat)

Kei:
Maya-chan! How did it go!?

Maya:
Absolutely fantastic! They didn't do anything lewd _

Kei:
Phew! Thank god! Can't have Chiaki-chan fainting again
(）︵

Maya:
On another note, we might have a new target to eliminate!

Kei:
Wait, someone else!? Come on, I thought we would be done with this already .

Maya:
Remember the big boobas girl I ran into on the way out of Pallet? It's her! She's head-over-heels for Takeyama-kun!

Kei:
Wow. Talk about popular (•_•)

Maya:
ikr! Guess what? I've got a plan

Kei:
( ﾟヮﾟ)

Maya:
(ﾟヮﾟ )

A/N's:

This chapter was very fun to write :)

Chapter 48 - Man With A Plan

The atmosphere in Class C was tense.

Their ruler, Kakeru Ryuuen, was sitting on the teacher's desk like it was his own property, and surveyed the class with bored eyes.

Ishizaki Daichi and Albert Yamada stood next to him, behind the podium, while Ibuki Mio stood in one corner of the classroom, rubbing her nails together for satisfaction.

Sakagami-sensei had long left the classroom, and now only an eerie silence remained.

"Quite the predicament we're in, I would say."

Ryuuen Kakeru broke said silence. The entire class was sweating bullets, unable to comprehend where this conversation was even headed.

It had already been made clear that Class C would attack Class D, because their academic abilities are the lowest among the First Years. However, there was futile resistance against this decision, stating the fact that it would be best to leave Class D's eccentric Leader, Keisuke Takeyama, alone.

"Ryuuen-kun, I still think it is best to leave Class D alone," Takeko Nishino spoke up. "I'm not saying this because I'm scared of him. I'm just thinking of what would be the best decision for Class C."

"Hmm? And why do you think so, Takeko?" Ryuuen replied, casually throwing out Nishino's given name. She flinched a bit, but kept her composure.

"It's already been proven twice that Keisuke Takeyama is an extremely dangerous opponent," she said without a hint of fear laced in her voice. "He completely pulled one out of nowhere during the Island Exam. And in the recent Sports Festival, even though they lost their trump card, Ken Sudo, Class D snatched first place in the event. It was because Keisuke Takeyama carried them. Furthermore, I've been in the same group as him during the Zodiac Exam. He may not have done anything drastic then, but we played poker on the last day to while away time. He is excessively shrewd and cunning. Almost like a fox."

Nishino's explanation was solid, without any loopholes.

Ryuuen slowly smiled an evil smile.

"Kuku. I completely agree with you, Takeko."

"Wha...?"

Takeko Nishino was, for one, completely dumbfounded. The last thing she had expected was for Ryuuen to actually agree to her statements. The class continued to preserve the silence.

"It indeed is true that Takeyama is an extremely enigmatic presence. He singlehandedly catapulted Class D to victory in the Island Exam. I've even heard rumors that none of his classmates know about the strategy he used to win on the Island. Hell, I don't know myself. No one in this goddamn school except him knows."

Ryuuen continued to sing praises of Keisuke Takeyama. Everyone in the class continued to listen to their dictator in silence.

"B-but Ryuuen-san, why do you think so highly of Takeyama?" Ishizaki asked. "I mean, I understand he's smart and stuff, but..."

"Shut up."

Ryuuen slammed his fist against the desk, and even Ishizaki was forced to zip his mouth tight. No one resisted Ryuuen's authority.

"Don't ask me why I think highly of Takeyama, Ishizaki. I think highly of him because he is indeed someone we need to be wary of."

"Then why?" Ibuki Mio finally spoke up from the corner. "Why are we attacking Class D, if we know that there's an extremely high chance of losing?"

"Now you're asking the questions, Ibuki," Ryuuen said with a wide grin, and he got off from the desk. "It's because all his actions are extremely suspicious."

Ryuuen slowly walked around the classroom, stopping for a few seconds at Hiyori Shiina's desk. The quiet girl did not say anything, and continued to stare forward at the blackboard.

Ryuuen dismissed her as uninteresting, and continued to move forward.

"All his actions don't explain something very important."

"And what is that, Ryuuen-shi?" a boy with glasses stood up and said. He was Satoru Kaneda, and was one of the academically smartest in the class. He often worked alongside Ryuuen as a major support.

"We cannot confirm Keisuke Takeyama's identity as Leader."

The silence in the class was now painful. You could hear even shallow noises of breathing in the well-lit room.

"What?" Ibuki Mio said, as her jaw almost dropped to the floor. "What do you mean, he's not the Leader?"

"I didn't say he wasn't the Leader," Ryuuen said in a bored voice. "I'm merely saying he might not be the only one."

"You mean there is someone else who is working alongside Takeyama, Ryuuen-san?" Ishizaki asked.

"I'm sure of it."

Ryuuen slowly stopped in front of the desk again, and took out his mobile phone from his pocket. He clicked a few buttons here and there, and then played back a certain recording.

"You wanted the situation to drag out. You wanted it to boil down to some sort of deal. Your main aim in getting Kanzaki as a witness was not to close the case, but it was to drag out the case.
Marvelous. I've been played around completely. Here I thought I was going to catch you off-guard by continuing ahead and injuring Kinoshita, but you wanted me to do that. Everything turned out just like you wanted it to."

The recording was blared at full volume to the entire class. Class C remembered this plan vividly — to take Horikita by surprise, and pin the blame of Kinoshita's injury on her, even though it had actually been caused by Ryuuen.

"Know what this is, losers?" Ryuuen taunted. "It's my voice. Played back to me by Takeyama himself. He completely fiddled me around. He recorded my confession secretly, and used it to bail out Suzune."

The class descended into chaotic whispering, but one glare from Ryuuen silenced them all.

"When did this even happen, Ryuuen-shi?" Kaneda asked hesitantly. He felt partly to blame, since he was involved in the formation of the scheme as well.

"When this happened, where it happened, who was present, why it happened, none of that shit is important right now," Ryuuen said. "I've got something else as well."

Ryuuen fiddled around with his phone again, and played back a second recording.

"We'll have Kinoshita fall down, is that it?
Yes, and once she's done that, Ryuuen-san can secretly make his way into the nurse's office and injure Kinoshita's leg there.
But there won't be a point if Horikita isn't next to Kinoshita during the race, right? We can't blame her for the fall if she's really far away. It's impractical.
I've already had that worked out. The cameras will definitely record video, but it won't record audio, right? We can just have Kinoshita-shi slow down during the beginning, and let Horikita-shi take the lead. Kinoshita-shi can then continuously call out Horikita-shi's name from behind. She will be bound to look behind.
That should work. We can then have Kinoshita speed up, and crash into Horikita. Once we've done that, we can easily blame Horikita for her fall.
Say, Ryuuen-san. How did you even get your hands on Class D's participation table?
None of your business, Ishizaki. I've got my ways."

"...how...?"

Ibuki Mio gawked at the audio recording. So did the rest of the class.

"That's clearly our voices," Ishizaki whispered. "It's from the time we were making our plan..."

"You know what this means, don't you?"

Ryuuen directed this question at the entire class, no one excluded. The class continued to remain silent, unable to digest the massive heap of information that they had just been buried under.

"There's a traitor in the class," Ryuuen said coldly. "Someone recorded the entire conversation on their phone, and sent it to Class D."

"Hey! Who the hell betrayed our Class?!" Ishizaki screamed. No one in the class spoke a word.

"Calm down, Ishizaki. You think the traitor's gonna jump out of the woodwork?" Ryuuen sneered. "No, they won't. So we've gotta do it the hard way, I guess. I want everyone's phones on this table. Right now."

"W-wait, Ryuuen-kun," Nishino-san pleaded. "What are you trying to do..."

"Nothing much. Just gonna go through your messages," Ryuuen said. "You've got nothing to fear if you're not the traitor, right?"

"Wait! I object!" a girl named Nagisa said. "I can't allow you to go through my messages, Ryuuen-kun! It's private!"

"And when did I ever mention that I care?"

"B-but Ryuuen-kun...!"

"Hey, Isoyama-san," Ishizaki said suspiciously. "Why're you trying to hide your phone so much? Surely you're not the traitor?"

"N-n-no!" she pleaded. "It's not me! I just don't want someone to go through my messages!"

"Sure, but the way you're acting is putting us off," Ishizaki pointed out.

"Quiet, Ishizaki," Ryuuen said. "You seem to have a problem with giving me your mobile, Isoyama. Then in that case, how many of you bastards here think your private messages are real private, and don't wanna show them to me?"

The class remained silent, but slowly, a few brave hands rose up from within the class. About 6 hands.

"You know you guys are just painting yourselves as the suspect now, right?" Ishizaki droned on. "Damn, what dumbasses..."

"Ishizaki, collect everyone's phones. Except those who've raised their hands," Ryuuen ordered lazily, and he seated himself on the teacher's desk again.

"Wait, I shouldn't collect from those who've raised their hands?"

"You hard of hearing, Ishizaki? Don't make me repeat myself."

"Y-yes, Ryuuen-san."

Ishizaki meekly obliged, and went around the classroom, gathering the phones of everyone whose hands weren't raised.

Once all the phones had been collected, Ishizaki placed them on the teacher's desk, and Ryuuen picked up each phone one by one, and proceeded to check through them.

After a few tense minutes, Ryuuen placed the last phone down on the table. It appeared that he had just skimmed through the messages instead.

"Looks like these dogs are all clear."

"Wait, then that means the traitor is one of the 6 students who haven't given up their phones!" Ishizaki screeched.

"Shut up, you moron. I don't need you to give me instructions. You think I'm just gonna find messages on their phones? Obviously not. No one would keep such messages on their phone. It would be immediately deleted."

Ryuuen hopped off the desk, and slowly patrolled the classroom once again.

He came to a stop next to Manabe Shiho.

"Manabe."

Said girl, who had been sweating profusely from the very beginning, jerked her head upwards towards the magenta-haired class leader.

"R-Ryuuen-kun?"

"It was you, wasn't it? The traitor?"

"M-me? No! It wasn't me! I swear, Ryuuen-kun, it wasn't m--"

"There's no point in hiding, Manabe," Ryuuen soothed, and he slowly caressed her face. "You are the only one in the class who hasn't looked me in the eye from the very beginning. I went around the classroom the first time trying to gauge a reaction. You're the only one who's being so stiff."

Manabe kept her mouth shut, and silently stared at Ryuuen with fearful eyes.

"I s-s-swear I didn't do it o-on purpose..."

"I know. I'll have this sorted out right now."

Just then, Ryuuen faced the class once again. "This meeting is over. You fools can go home now. Glasses, you're staying back. Ishizaki, Albert, Ibuki, stay."

The class obliged to his demands almost immediately, and all students left the class without any delay.

The only ones left in the class now were Manabe Shiho, Nanami Yabu, Saki Yamashita, Ibuki Mio, Albert Yamada, Daichi Ishizaki, Satoru Kaneda, and Ryuuen himself.

Ryuuen signaled to Ishizaki to close the door, and said boy almost immediately ran over to shut the classroom door.

"Now, where were we?"

"I didn't do it on p-purpose, Ryuuen-kun," Manabe mumbled. "W-w-we were threatened..."

"Hmm? Threatened?"

"Yes, but I don't know who it was."

"And why were you fools threatened?" All three girls stiffened up at Ryuuen's dark voice.

"I... I don't think we c-can explain that s-so easily, Ryuuen-kun..."

"We've got all the time in the world. And you're not leaving until you explain."

Nanami Yabu was the first girl to speak up. "D-d-do you know Karuizawa-san, from Class D, Ryuuen-kun?"

"I can probably match name and face. She's Hirata's chick, ain't she?"

"Y-yeah. But truth is, she's actually a terrible victim of bullying."

"Oh?"

Ryuuen seemed to have found this piece of information very interesting, and he raised his eyebrows as though he were a Talent Show judge.

"Once during lunch break, she bumped into Rika, and she didn't even apologize. So we decided to teach her a lesson. This was around the time when we were on the Cruise Ship. During the Zodiac Exam."

"How dull. Where did you fuck up?"

Manabe shifted uncomfortably. "Well, we were giving Karuizawa a good beating back then, but we later got a picture of us bullying her, and the sender threatened to expose us if we didn't listen to them."

"Idiots. Can't even bully someone without getting caught," Ryuuen said in an irritated voice, and slammed the desk hard with his fist again. All 3 girls shuddered.

"Do you remember who were the people there during the incident?" Kaneda asked the 3 girls.

"Ayanokoji-kun and Yukimura-kun were there."

"Yukimura, eh? I've heard he's a smart guy. I wouldn't be surprised if he were working alongside Takeyama," Ishizaki said.

"But Ayanokoji-shi is very suspicious as well," Kaneda responded. "He was hiding his true athletic abilities until the Sports Festival. I'd say he's the more suspicious one of the two."

"Wait. I've talked to that guy before, and there's no way he's hiding something like that," Ibuki interjected. "He's a plain, Class D student. His legs might carry him fast, but that's about it."

"Ayanokoji, huh..." Ryuuen pondered. "It's that gloomy bastard who's Suzune's orbiter. So he's been right under our noses this entire time..."

"But Ryuuen, I just said that there's no way it's him," Ibuki said irritated. "He's just too plain to be able to pull off stuff like this."

"I didn't ask for your opinion, Ibuki. For now, I'd like to refer to this unknown existence as X," Ryuuen declared.

"Wait. But I don't understand one thing, Ryuuen-shi," Kaneda butted in. "Why are we even assuming that someone else is working behind the scenes? What if the person who sent these pictures to Manabe-shi and the others was Takeyama-shi himself?"

"I've already thought of that, Four Eyes," Ryuuen said menacingly. "I received the second voice recording at around 4:40 pm that day. That's around the same time I was talking to Takeyama himself. If he really had sent me that message, I would have noticed him use his phone. And yet, he didn't take his phone out from his pocket even once."

"But there are several ways to do that, is there not? Maybe someone else sent it to you from Takeyama-shi's phone?"

"That's not possible, because he had his phone on him the entire time. He took it out at the last minute to reveal that he had been recording the entire conversation that had taken place that day." Ryuuen put his hand on his chin, and slowly cracked his neck sideways.

"It can't be him," Ryuuen said finally. "Takeyama was not the one who sent me that message. It was someone else. There would not be any necessity to record the conversation if they already had such valuable evidence."

"So what you're saying is that..."

"Someone is working alongside Takeyama, and their plans are overlapping," Ryuuen concluded. "There are 2 masterminds in Class D, and one of them is continuously trying to foil the other."

"Wait, but what would be the point of doing something so self-destructive?" Ibuki asked. "If they're both working for the class, why don't they work together?"

"Kuku. Now that's something I would like to know too, ain't I right, Ibuki?" Ryuuen snickered. Ibuki merely let out a huff, but did not refute his statement.

"You 3 can scram," Ryuuen said, pointing at the Manabe, Nanami and Saki. The 3 girls immediately nodded vigorously, and headed out of the door in a flash.

"Ryuuen-shi, this might be a last ditch effort from my side but... I don't think we should attack Class D in this Paper Shuffle Exam," Kaneda said, and he fixed his glasses. "It is extremely dangerous. If there really is another person behind the scenes like you hypothesized, then it gets even more dangerous. If I were to be frank, Takeyama-shi is a much more fearsome opponent than even Sakayanagi-shi."

"Quiet, Kaneda. I said we're attacking Class D. So we're attacking Class D. I've got a score to settle with that bastard, too," Ryuuen said with an evil grin.

"I'm gonna beat that Takeyama to a pulp, and smoke out this X from the shadows."

Chapter 49 - Study Groups

Ever since the results had been announced, several study groups had been formed by the class, with the top honor students leading most of them.

And with me being an honor student, I had to lead a study group as well, which currently consisted of Maya Sato, Chiaki Matsushita, Kei Karuizawa and Ruri Ichihashi. I moved off Inogashira-san to Hirata's group, because she had most of her closer friends there. Even the environment in which you study makes a huge difference to your grades.

Also, Kiyotaka wanted me to take over Karuizawa-san and her partner Ichihashi-san's studying, because he doesn't want her to somehow get expelled because of this exam.

Which also made me his relentless source of teasing.

I've been trying to get under his skin for forever now, but he doesn't even budge. I eventually started getting annoyed myself. It's fun to tease someone only if they look like they're not liking it. Kiyotaka doesn't even have a reaction. I've been shipping him with Karuizawa-san and Sato-san for like forever now, and he remains as stoic as those Russian voodoo dolls.

Also, it was a bit strange how hard Chiaki struggled with me to be put into my study group. For some reason, Kei Karuizawa had been against me this whole time, and had been supporting Chiaki in her endeavor to join my group. I eventually had to let the 2 of them in, but I still don't know what got over them.

Kiyotaka had been put into the study group consisting of Yukimura, Hasebe and Miyake. Ike had initially been a part of the group, since he was paired with Yukimura, but he backed out at the end because he 'didn't like the group'.

Now I don't know what that's supposed to mean. Miyake and Yukimura are pretty peaceful people, and Hasebe-san had been voted to have the biggest assets in class. I have no idea why someone like Ike would give up this opportunity, but he sauntered over to Kushida's group instead.

Get a load of this simp.

Either way, it didn't really matter. As long as Ike and Yamauchi were at least studying, I didn't really care which group they went to. Moreover, they'd actually more likely be studying with Kushida if not anyone else in the class. It was a win-win situation.

I didn't worry about Sudo anymore, because Horikita was the one who was taking care of him. As long as Horikita was around, I believe Sudo would continue to improve upon his weak points and try as hard as possible. Apparently love does that to you.

I don't know what that feels like.

"Yo Kei-chan, what are you zoning out for?"

I felt a light tap on my head, and I turned to see Chiaki and Ichihashi staring at me curiously.

"Maybe you shouldn't call me 'Kei-chan' here," I said in a bored voice.

"Huh!? Why!?" The way Chiaki responded would be comparable to how horror movie protagonists continue to move into the haunted house, and then are surprised when they actually find the ghost.

"No, I meant that Karuizawa-san's first name is Kei as well," I cleared the misunderstanding. "It would become confusing."

"Oh, that's right!" Karuizawa woke up from her slumber. "I completely forgot!"

"Oh... oh. Right," Chiaki said uncertainly, like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

"Now that everyone's here, can we start?" I asked. Everyone nodded vigorously, and I pulled out a bunch of textbooks from my bag, and everyone else did the same as well.

Sato-san was sitting to my right, while Chiaki was sitting to my left. We were on a round table, and Karuizawa and Ichihashi were opposite to me.

I felt a slight nudge from my right, and I looked over at Sato-san.

"Hey, Takeyama-kun. Can I ask you something?"

"... is it related to what we're doing?"

"No, umm... it's... something else." She lowered her voice to a whisper, but I could clearly see Karuizawa occasionally glancing at my direction. Were they in this together, whatever it was?

"Go ahead."

"Actually, umm... you're... close to Ayanokoji-kun, right?"

Ahh. Ayanokoji-kun. The absolute chick magnet. Never before had someone approached me to ask for advice on how to hook up with their friend.

I suddenly felt the pain that the friend of the main character in a harem anime felt.

"We are, kinda. Why, you aiming for him?"

Sato immediately turned a bright red. "No! Umm... that's not what I meant..."

"That is what I meant..."

I sighed. So Sato really was aiming for Ayanokoji.

Finally, someone in the class sees his worth.

"Oh, so umm, have you talked to him before?" I asked curiously.

"Not really, no," she replied, twiddling her pretty brown hair. "It's just that... it might sound really superficial, but he was really cool during the Sports Festival... and I kinda think he looked... hot..."

She slowly turned beet-red again, and lowered her head into her Math textbook.

I sighed. I had no experience in this situation. How was I even supposed to help?

"I'll see what I can do to help, Sato-san," I said casually. "But don't count on me much, I guess."

Sato nodded her head vigorously. "Thank you so much, Takeyama-kun!"

"Huh? What are you guys blabbering on without me?" Chiaki wriggled herself into the conversation.

"The conversation is over. Get back to doing your sums."

"What!? Not fair! You guys can talk, but I can't?"

I narrowed my eyes, and smirked a bit. "Hmm... you sure don't want me tell anyone about you, do you...?"

Chiaki widened her eyes, and gulped. Of course, she would completely lose her façade if I tell everyone how she's actually been holding back in tests.

"You're so mean..."

I snickered, and turned her head back to the math textbook, while she continuously pouted at me.

I turned to look at Ichihashi. She was the only one who was diligently working out the problems. I decided to let her leave early. I was gonna hold these three back. It's always work hard, play hard.

_

"... you're kidding."

"I'm not. Apparently now we're the Ayanokoji Group."

Me and Kiyotaka were lounging in my room with a bag of potato chips and soda. It's something that the 2 of us have suddenly started doing. I don't remember who initiated it, though.

"But why 'Ayanokoji Group'? Were there no other names to choose from?"

"Apparently it was chosen because I was the one who brought us together," Kiyotaka deadpanned. "And now I'm the victim of a very embarrassing nickname."

" Kiyopon."

"Shut up. It's hard to deal with as it is. I don't need you to start calling me that too," Ayanokoji said.

"KI-YO-PON."

"..."

"Kiyopon Kiyopon Kiyopon Kiyopon Kiyopon Kiyopon Kiyopon Kiyopon Kiyopon Kiyopon--"

"Stop."

"What? It's plenty cute. Hasebe-san sure comes up with nice nicknames."

"... you're not helping."

"Well, what is there to help?" I sat up straight. "I mean, you're not a part of any friend circle anyways, are you? It's good that you guys made one. From what I've heard, you guys were the self-proclaimed loners group."

"You didn't have to make it sound that harsh."

"But the truth must be told." I tossed a potato chip in my mouth. "This reminds me of a scene from Death Note..."

"I've heard of that. It's an anime, was it? The Professor was fanboying over it sometime ago."

I widened my eyes. "Wait, you've not watched Death Note? That was like, the first thing I did when I left the White Room."

"The first thing you did when you left the White Room... was watch Death Note?"

"I've got my priorities straight, Kiyotaka."

Ayanokoji leaned back on the chair. "But that doesn't change the fact that watching some anime was more important to you than actually getting to know the outside world."

"... touché.

"What was the first thing you did?" I asked curiously. "I mean, you definitely had plans to do something once you left, right?"

"I was learning how to interact properly," Ayanokoji said in a disinterested voice. "Like how to properly hold conversations, how to tell jokes, how to get a girlfriend..."

"How to get a girlfriend?"

"Don't tell me you've never thought of that before," Ayanokoji fired back.

"No, of course I've thought of that," I replied hastily. "But something tells me that your research is not exactly working."

"It's because I haven't been trying."

"Oh? You're telling me you're gonna get a girlfriend before me?"

Ayanokoji sat up a bit straighter. "Is that a challenge?"

"You can take it as an open declaration of war."

"You're willing to bet Private Points on this, aren't you?" he narrowed his eyes.

"Of course. But it can't be just any girl. It's gotta be one of those elites," I said proudly.

"... elites?"

"Ichinose Honami, Sakayanagi Arisu, Suzune Horikita, Kei Karuizawa, Kikyo Kushida..."

"Wait. Kikyo Kushida?"

"What, don't think she's one of the elites?" I deadpanned. "If you actually manage to get her as your girlfriend, Kiyotaka, I'll lick the floor."

"She's an elite in the sense that none of us are even gonna bother trying," Ayanokoji replied. "And Horikita? You sure put her in pretty light, don't you?"

"Again, one of the top prizes in my opinion. Gold Class Tsundere. Wanna aim for her?"

"You're not being serious, right?" Ayanokoji was genuinely worried now.

"I'm being 100% serious." I put on my serious face. "We can make a list of girls. And you've gotta get a girlfriend from that list."

"... you're just going to put Matsushita-san in the list, aren't you? I mean, I'm pretty sure it's gonna be cakewalk for you in that case."

"All right. We'll make sure we don't put personal friends. Mutual friends are, however, allowed."

"We have a deal."

The two of us shook hands to commemorate this historic moment.

"What's the time limit?" I suddenly asked. I realized that we hadn't set one.

"Do we need a time limit?" Ayanokoji replied. "I mean, whoever gets one first wins."

"... right. So it's on until one of us gets, or one of us drops."

"Wanna make the list?" he asked. "I need to know the targets."

"Knowing the 2 of us, we don't really need to try too hard to get a girlfriend. But we'll make a list anyways," I replied. "You know, for memory's sake."

"Am I allowed to put Kei Karuizawa in it?"

"... I think you just revealed your secret."

"Not really. I'm not particularly close to any girl, so I need to make do with the ones I actually am in contact with," said Kiyotaka.

"I thought you'd go with Maya Sato or someone," I said. "You know, don't you?"

Kiyotaka lounged back in the chair, and popped off another bottle of soda. "I'm not really sure. Karuizawa-san told me about it, and Sato-san herself has approached me. I mean, it was a very bold move, to be honest. But I don't know what to do."

"That's just so typically you," I deadpanned. "If you asked her out, she's say yes in a heartbeat. Ok, another rule. Maya Sato is not allowed in the list."

"Now you're just being plain unfair," Kiyotaka retorted.

"What? You said no to Chiaki as well. I think this counts as compensation."

"... you have a comeback for everything, don't you?" he sighed.

"Yes sir."

"Right. I think we can actually leave Sakayanagi alone?" he suggested. "Are either of us actually going to try for her?"

"Don't count your chickens before they've hatched, Kiyotaka," I waved off his opinion. "Or in this case, don't delete your options before you've even tried them."

"But my questions stands. Do you really think you can get someone like Sakayanagi?"

I tossed a potato chip in my mouth.

"I think she's the easiest one among said elites."

"... you're kidding. I don't believe you."

"Think about it. She prays to us. We're her idols. It's gonna be easy-peasy if we actually ask her out. I daresay she'll faint on the spot."

"So you're telling me I should aim for her?"

"Up to you. She's still a part of the Elite Female Gang."

"Which reminds me, I heard you and Sakayanagi have already had a 'date'," Kiyotaka said in a bored voice. "It's made rounds in the grade. You know it's some pretty serious stuff when even someone like me knows about it."

"It wasn't a date," I snapped. "She called me for some godforsaken reason. But I tried to interrogate her on how she knew about us."

Upon hearing this, Ayanokoji sat up a bit straighter, and the fun atmosphere in my room was nowhere to be seen anymore.

"What did she say?"

"Nothing much. I couldn't extract much information from her," I said. "But from what I understood, she's only seen you in flesh in the White Room. She's never laid eyes upon me before, even though she's heard of me."

"I find it strange that someone from outside the White Room knows of our existence, and yet we were kept in the dark about each other," Kiyotaka reasoned.

"I don't really know. Do you even know who Professor Ayanokoji interacts with?" I asked. "I mean, it wouldn't surprise me to know that Chairman Sakayanagi and Professor Ayanokoji were closely acquainted."

"That is the only possible explanation, is it not?" he replied. "Moreover, I do not know of the dealings that man made. For all, I don't even care. He's not my father. I don't see him as one, at least."

"Well, I guess that's one thing we have in common," I sighed. "Also, I need to tell you something."

"What is it?"

"... you know what, it'll be better if I tell you about it later," I said quickly. "It's something related to the Paper Shuffle, so I want Horikita and Yosuke to be here as well. Karuizawa-san also, maybe."

"Fine by me. I think I'll get going. We really need to stop with all these junk food."

"I thought you liked it?"

"..."

"..."

A/N's:

Ayanogod and Takeyama making Wahmen Tier List( ͡ ͜ʖ ͡)( ͡ ͜ʖ ͡)

Chapter 50 - Possibilities

[ Chapter 50! ]

During Homeroom today, Chabashira-sensei had announced that we would be attacking Class C, since our nominations did not clash with any other class.

But what surprised me the most is that neither Class A nor B chose to attack Class D. Since we were the class at the bottom rung of the ladder, I was half-expecting us to become prime elite cannon fodder.

But apparently Class A and Class B were attacking each other, and Class C and D were battling it out as well. The ideal situation. Furthermore, since I've got a 'deal' with Hiroya Tokito, it either gave me a huge advantage, or a potential spy in our ranks.

Tokito's proposal to bring down Class D had almost no strings attached. It was too good to be true. Class C leaks their questions to us, we win the exam and get promoted to Class C, Ryuuen loses authority in his class, and their administration comes down crumbling.

It's a complete win situation for us.

But that's what makes it suspicious.

Even though I understand that Tokito resents Ryuuen's rule, and would rather have a better method of turning the class around, he chose the hard way out. He wants Class C to fall down completely, and then pin it all on Ryuuen.

It hardly makes any sense.

Any normal person would try to go through with a strategy which tries to protect the class. But Tokito was completely doing it the other way.

I had already assumed that Tokito is probably bluffing, but I still kept my hopes up.

"It's strange..." Horikita murmured. "Why didn't Class A and Class B attack Class D? At the end, as long as they score a better average, they win... then why..."

She turned to look at me, and I caught her gaze.

"What?" I asked nonchalantly.

"You... you did something, right?"

"I didn't do anything," I said meekly. "How can I change something like this?"

"No, that's not what I meant... you and Sakayanagi-san... went out together last weekend, didn't you?" Horikita asked me calmly.

"What, you're jealous?"

"Not a bit. But what did you talk about with her?" she asked.

Looks like Horikita-chan was slowly starting to understand why I even accepted Sakayanagi's invitation in the first place.

If she hadn't called me out, I would have.

It just saved me a hassle since she herself took the initiative to call me out to the Pallet. And we had the same topic of discussion. It was quite freaky, really.

"Guess what we talked about," I replied airily.

"Tch... you somehow convinced Sakayanagi-san to not attack Class D... but how?"

"I have my ways. She was more than happy to oblige."

I could not tell her the reason, of course. Only Kiyotaka and I knew about it. That Sakayanagi-san had called me out that day, and I had told her to not attack Class D, but instead attack Class C. I thought it would have been harder to convince her, but Sakayanagi agreed almost immediately.

She idolizes me to a frightening degree.

Whether that's good or bad, only time will tell.

"... I see..." Horikita said thoughtfully, but nevertheless continued to stare holes at my direction.

"... you're creeping me out, Horikita."

"I still don't understand. Someone like Sakayanagi-san... all it took you was one date to convince her?"

"Now I'm a one hundred percent sure you're just jealous."

"I'm not jealous!" she fired back, but it came out much more cuter than expected. "Why would I be jealous?! Why do you keep saying that? Idiot."

"Tsundere~~"

Horikita stared at me with wide eyes, and proceeded to dig into her bag.

"No no no no no no no no no no no no no no--"

She whips out a compass.

"Hey, I'm sorry, we can settle this peacefu--"

"You're dead meat."

(Horikita POV):

"You're a monster, Horikita..."

Takeyama murmured beside me, as he slowly rubbed his right arm, the unfortunate attack zone for my attack.

"You deserved it."

"You know that this just proves how much more of a tsundere you really are?"

I glanced at the boy annoyed. Why was he so annoying? Why can't he just... not tease me for even a second?

I've never been teased by someone before. This feels so... surreal.

And annoying.

"Have you started making the questions?"

I turned to look at Takeyama-kun again. He was looking at me with lazy eyes, and was completely sprawled out on the desk. I twitched my eyebrows.

"I haven't started making them yet. I was hoping you would take charge of that."

"Me, uh?"

He again stared up at the ceiling, occasionally blinking and almost falling asleep. I sighed rather loudly.

"I guess I could do that. But I'll need your help."

"You always have my help, Horikita," he said, and he surreptitiously winked at my direction. I widened my eyes.

Why did that... feel good?

"You... idiot."

"Baka tsun~tsun~~"

"I'm going to actually kill yo--"

"Before you do that, can I ask you for a little favor?" he suddenly spoke up, but his tone was much more serious this time. There was no hint of the initial laidback voice.

I adjusted myself accordingly as well.

"What is it?"

"I need you to come along with me."

"Where to?"

"... you'll know soon." With that cryptic answer, Takeyama effortlessly catapulted out of the chair like a ballet dancer, and walked towards the door. I slowly followed behind him.

"At least tell me where we're going."

"To the Faculty Office," he replied unenthusiastically.

I narrowed my eyes. "The Faculty... Office?"

He did not answer, and he continued to walk towards the northern stairwell of the main school building.

After reaching the third floor, I immediately felt a sense of regret following him here. What if I ran into Nii-san...?

Takeyama did not seem perturbed, in the least. He continued to walk down the corridor, whistling to himself, and both of us stopped in front of the Faculty Office.

"Please don't open the door... please..."

I turned to look incredulously at Takeyama. "We walked all the way here, and you're hoping that the teachers won't open the door?"

"Not any teacher. I don't want that teacher to open the door..." he responded slowly. He gathered up his courage, and knocked on the door, much to my confusion.

Who was he even talking about?

The door swung open almost immediately, and in front of the door stood Class B's homeroom teacher, Chie Hoshinomiya.

"Oh my god..." I heard Takeyama mumble under his breath.

"Keisuke-kun!" Hoshinomiya-sensei chirped. "It's been so long since you've come here! Come to me, please? Pretty please?"

... what the hell is going on?

"Hoshinomiya-sensei." Takeyama replied curtly. "Can't say it's good to see you here."

"Haw!?" Said sensei stumbled back into the Faculty Room, with a hand over her bosom. "Keisuke-kun! You can't do this to me!? I thought you loved me! You even told me last time!"

I widened my eyes, and turned to look at Takeyama-kun.

He's into teachers?

"Sorry, sensei. I never said anything like that."

"Waaaaaaaaaah! You're mean, Keisuke-kun! You're a meanie!"

"Yes, yes, yadayada. Where's Chabashira-sensei?" Saying so, he walked into the Office like he owned the place.

I gasped at his boldness. Is he a regular guest in the Faculty Office, to nonchalantly stride in like it was his own room?

I decided to not take the risk, and stayed outside the Office.

"Hmm? You've got a friend along with you, Keisuke-kun?"

Hoshinomiya-sensei immediately scurried over to where I was standing, and began to inspect me with great earnest. "Hmm, I see... so Keisuke-kun's into these types... black haired, premium medium... I now understand why you're so into Sae-chan now..."

I involuntarily stumbled back. "Sensei, what are you doing?"

Hoshinomiya-sensei prodded me all over. "You're feisty, aren't you? My Keisuke-kun loves these types! Too bad I'm too hard to get for him!"

"Sensei, I don't think you should be doing this..." I was starting to get a bit uncomfortable with all of her pokes. She was touching me everywhere! And by everywhere, I mean everywhere...

Bonk!

"Ouchie!" she screamed, and clutched her buttocks. "Sae-chan, you always show up at the worst times!"

"Then you should stop harassing my students every time they come here," a cold, aloof voice said. Chabashira-sensei sighed, and entered the Faculty Room, and Hoshinomiya-sensei meekly followed her inside, seemingly having lost all interest in me.

"Keisuke-kun's coming to visit you very often these days, huh?" Hoe-shinomiya grinned. "You're sure you're not a shotacon, Sae-chan?"

[ 'shotacon' means an attraction to young boys in Japanese (I think?) ]

"Refrain from using such obscene words, Chie."

"Haw~~ but if I can't use that word what do I call you~~?"

Smack.

"What is it that you need, Takeyama, Horikita?" Chabashira-sensei finally led us into her cubicle after leaving behind the war-zone.

"I wanted to talk about the upcoming Paper Shuffle Exam," Takeyama replied. "I just wanted to clarify a few points."

"Go ahead."

I silently watched Chabashira-sensei. Usually, she's extremely cold, aloof, and completely disregards her students. But right now, she was being very patient, and Takeyama even moved into the cubicle's kitchenette, and started brewing tea.

To say I was surprised was an understatement.

"Normal questions. Till what date are we allowed to submit the questions that will be used for the other class?"

"You'll be allowed to turn in your questions until 2 days before the exam," she replied. "But it is unadvisable to leave it for so late, because in the case that you need to change the questions because it wasn't approved by the teachers, you'll be in a tight spot."

"Right. So we can submit it any day before the exam, right?" Takeyama reiterated the same point in different words.

"Yes, that is correct."

"Then, sensei. Once we have submitted the questions to you, are we allowed to take them back, by any chance?"

I narrowed my eyes. What was Takeyama-kun getting at?

"Allowed to take them back? I believe that is impossible," Chabashira-sensei replied indifferently. "As long as we have a final revised copy at least 2 days before the exam, you're allowed to modify your questions as many times as you like. But once it has been submitted to the teachers, you can't take it back unless we teachers ourselves return it to you for corrections and errors."

"... right."

A silence loomed over the Room. The water boiled over, and Takeyama skillfully strained the tea into 3 mugs.

"What are you getting at, Takeyama-kun?" I could not contain my curiosity any longer. "Why are you asking such basic questions? And why did you get me along?"

"Because now I'm getting to the point, Horikita," he said airily. "Sensei, I have a favor to ask of you."

"A favor, huh? Now, that depends on what this favor is," sensei replied.

"I want you to accept any questions that come to you from anyone in our class," he spoke. "But you will actually accept only those questions which come from either me or Horikita. No one else."

Chabashira-sensei looked dumbfounded, and so did I. I tried to wrap my head around the situation.

"Come again?"

"I want you to pretend to accept questions from anyone in our class. But you will not use those questions as the final draft. The final draft will be submitted by either me or Horikita. If anyone else comes in with questions, then accept them to prevent suspicion, but do not use those questions."

Chabashira-sensei fell into a thoughtful state. "I see... is there a specific reason as to why you want me to do this?"

"In simple words, this is to curb the surfacing of a traitor in class," he replied. "In the case that someone submits the questions from our class without our knowledge. It is to prevent that from happening."

"Wait, Takeyama-kun. Are you implying that there is a traitor in our midst?" I asked.

"Hmm? I think you're the one who's best acquainted with them, Horikita," he replied. "You can definitely guess?"

Of course I can.

He was talking about Kikyo Kushida.

The only person in Class who really is capable of pulling off such an act.

During the Sports Festival, by colluding alongside Class C, she was able to stir up serious trouble for Class D and specifically, me. She leaked the participation table to Class C without our knowledge, a blatant act of treachery.

"I see," I replied slowly. "Now that you say it, I think this precaution is extremely necessary..."

In the off-chance that Kushida colludes with Class C again, then she could submit questions without our knowledge, and leak them out to Class C as well.

In fact, I think that the chances of that happening are very high.

And we cannot confront Kushida directly about it, either. If she really has colluded with Ryuuen-kun, then telling her anything would be indirectly telling everything to Ryuuen.

"Sometimes I don't understand your goals, Takeyama," Chabashira-sensei said in a resigned voice. "But I will keep that in mind. You don't have to worry about anything. I'll accept questions only from either you or Horikita."

"Thank you, sensei. That's pretty much all I wanted to talk to you about," he replied indifferently. "I'll get going now."

With that, he politely excused himself from the cubicle, and we walked out of the Faculty Room.

We walked for a while in silence, before I broke it.

"We'll have to start preparing the questions soon. But it will be hard to convince the class to do so without Kushida-san."

"You may be right," he replied. "I'm assuming Yosuke, Yukimura, Mii-chan, Kushida-san, you and I will be in charge of the questions?"

"That was the initial plan, was it not? But I don't think we should be discussing the questions in front of Kushida-san. If she relays them to Ryuuen-kun, we'll be at a severe disadvantage."

"Speaking of which, I think we might have an ally from Class C."

I stopped in my tracks. "An ally... from Class C?"

"Hiroya Tokito. You know him?"

Chapter 51 - Provocation

Here's an early chapter.

And happy birthday to best girl Horikita Suzune!

_

(Ayanokoji POV):

The Ayanokoji Group has gathered at the Pallet, and we were beginning our second session of the hour after the short break that Haruka insisted on taking.

"How do you even drink coffee that sweet?" Akito asked, astonished. "Like, I can literally see the sugar in your coffee."

"I don't understand how you drink it completely black," Haruka said with an air of superiority. "What the hell even is black coffee? It's a gift from hell."

"It's got it own perks," Akito replied. "Unlike sweet coffee. Once something becomes sweet, literally everything tastes the same. Did you know that if you held your nose, you wouldn't be able to distinguish between sweet tea and sweet coffee? But it wouldn't work for bitter tea."

"Come on, Miyacchi! I was just kidding!" Haruka replied. "And I'm pretty sure that you're just messing around with me."

"Nope, it's true," Yukimura spoke up. "And now we must study."

"2 more minutes?"

"Study."

"One more minute?"

"Study."

"Jeez, okay," Haruka said in an annoyed voice. "Just a sec, though. I'll go and get a refill of my coffe-- WOAH!"

Haruka tripped on her own foot as she got up from her chair, and the empty paper cup rolled onto the floor, landing next to another person's foot.

"I'm sorry! I'll pick that up--"

The next moment, said foot squashed the cup, and Haruka looked up in indignation.

There stood the Class C Leader Ryuuen Kakeru, along with his three lackeys Ishizaki, Komiya and Kondo. There was another girl who kept herself behind Ishizaki, but the expression on her face was completely calm.

"Why did you do that!?" Haruka asked angrily.

"I thought you were gonna trash that," Ryuuen snickered. "So I made it easier to trash for you." Saying so, he kicked the cup towards our table, its little liquid contents spilling out onto the floor.

The commotion had attracted the attention of a few students inside the café, and they were curiously watching our table.

"Stop it, Ryuuen. You can go and boss around somewhere else," Akito said scathingly.

"Huh!? Who do you think you are, punk?" Ishizaki grabbed hold of Akito's collar, and threatened him. "Watch what comes out of your mouth."

"Oh, look. Ryuuen's servants. Better run for my life." Akito continued his onslaught.

"Why, you...!"

"Stop it, Ishizaki. Come back here," Ryuuen ordered lazily.

"But Ryuuen-kun! He's talking shit about you--"

"Do you wanna cause a scene here, you moron?" Ryuuen snapped. "So leave his collar and get back here."

It was true. There were several customers, waitresses, and students gathered inside the Pallet. If Class C started something notorious, then it would come back to bite them in the ass.

"Tch...!" Ishizaki obeyed Ryuuen's command, and immediately sulked back to his position behind him.

"What do you need, Ryuuen? You're interrupting our study session."

"Kuku. I couldn't care any lesser. Did you receive my mail?" he asked a strange question.

"Mail...?"

"I'm talking to the two of you," Ryuuen said, pointing towards Keisei and I. "I asked, 'What are you'. You'd better not cower under that Takeyama anymore."

"What the hell are you even talking about...?" Yukimura stared at Ryuuen.

"Kuku. You don't know? What about you?"

Ryuuen looked towards me. Knowing his heavy-hitting methods of extracting information, I decided to play it safe.

I went with the answer that most suited my personality.

"Who knows?"

Ryuuen cracked a surprised smile at my direction, and proceeded to snicker to himself. "How strange... you guys are so clueless..."

"Hmm? Who's clueless?"

Ryuuen's eyes darted towards the new voice, and so did everyone's in the vicinity.

A man with sleek, black hair tied up into a bun, and a lean physique was now standing behind Yukimura's chair.

"Oho, look who's here," Ryuuen sneered. "Looks like we attracted the King of the Idiots. Why are you here?"

"Why I'm here is none of your business. What do you want, Ryuuen?" he asked. "You're not welcome here. So if you can kindly piss off?"

"Kindly piss off? What kind of language do you use to speak to your superiors, Takeyama?" Ryuuen took a jab at him.

"Hello, Hiyori."

Takeyama completely ignored Ryuuen's provocations, and smiled at the girl who was standing beside the entourage.

"Hello, Keisuke-kun!" the silver haired girl, who was apparently acquainted with Takeyama on a first name basis, waved at him with a big smile. "It's good to see you here!"

"Did Ryuuen kidnap you?"

She let out a hearty laugh. "No, not at all! I came here by my own volition."

"I see. Then everyone except Hiyori, please fuck off."

Akito stifled a laugh under his hand, and Haruka bit her lips, darting her vision between Takeyama and Hiyori.

I probably understand what she's thinking of right now...

"Oh well. Looks like we're not welcome here at all," Ryuuen said cockily. "But you'll get your fill someday, Takeyama. Every dog has his day."

"Don't know if a bitch like you will ever have one."

"Damn..."

"Tch..." Ryuuen's smile faltered under that supersonic retort. There were gasps around our table, and murmurs of approval from whoever was tuning into our conversation from the other tables.

"We'll see, Takeyama. We'll see." Saying so, Ryuuen left, with Ishizaki, Komiya and Kondo in tow.

Hiyori, however, stayed back.

"Damn, Takeyama-kun!" Haruka slapped Takeyama's back, and he stumbled forward. "That was completely fire!"

"You annihilated him," Akito observed. "He's not coming back to talk to you for a while after that. I need to add that to my vocabulary..."

"I seriously wonder," Takeyama said uncertainly. "It's such a piss off, Ryuuen always coming over and trying to provoke me..."

"Well, thank heavens that that's over," Yukimura muttered. "Anyways, Takeyama-kun. It's rather strange that you showed up at the exact same time here as Ryuuen-kun. Did you perhaps know he was coming?"

"Nope. I was sitting right there," he said, pointing towards the café across the street. "The study group I'm leading is over there, because it's a quieter place than the Pallet. Besides, I also wanted to check on you guys. Feel free to ask for any help whenever required."

"Will do, Takeyama-kun!" Haruka acknowledged brightly, and flashed a thumbs-up towards Takeyama's direction.

"Also, before I forget!"

Haruka quickly turned towards Hiyori, and immediately scanned her from head to toe. Hiyori, sensing a bit of discomfort, slowly hid behind Takeyama.

Then Haruka closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.

"I approve!"

"And who are you to approve?" he asked scathingly. "Me and Hiyori are friends, Hasebe-san."

"Ooo~~ just friends?" Haruka continued her relentless teasing.

"Yes, just friends."

"We are going off topic," Yukimura interrupted. "We need to continue studying. Thank you for your concern, Takeyama-kun. We'll definitely relay if we need any help."

"Welp. Good luck, I guess," he said in a bored voice, before turning around to leave the café alongside Hiyori.

The doors of the Pallet jingled signaling their exit.

"I don't think it's a wise idea to continue meeting like this," I said.

The man I was currently speaking to was named Hiroya Tokito, a potential spy for Class C slash Class D in this Paper Shuffle Exam.

"I understand, Takeyama-kun," Tokito said crisply. "But I don't want to use my mobile phone to initiate any contact. Ryuuen checks our phones once in a while, you know?"

"And you allow it? It feels more like he's able to control your class only because it's filled with a bunch of pussies."

"But that's an authority that he's made for himself from the very beginning," he replied. "Besides, Albert is always standing next to him, ready to beat up anyone who dares to oppose Ryuuen. It's kinda scary to have someone of that size stare down at you from the heavens, is it not?"

I let out a small laugh. "Good point. So lets get back to where we were. I don't want this to extend for more than 5 minutes."

"Neither do I. I recorded a certain conversation within the study group that I was a part of," Tokito said, and he whipped out his mobile phone. "I'm a part of the Question Forming Group."

"So you're the ones framing the questions for us?"

"Precisely. And this conversation is from yesterday, around 5:30pm, when we were in the Library, discussing the potential questions we could ask you guys."

Saying so, Tokito mailed me the recording he possessed, and quickly deleted it on his phone, and erased all evidence of the mail ever being sent.

"You're being super cautious, huh?" I commented.

"I need to be," he snorted. "Ryuuen's the type of person you can never be too safe around."

"So what's this recording about?"

"We're planning to focus on probability in mathematics," Hiroya stated. "And for chemistry, we're focusing on organic."

"I assume this recording contains some more concrete information?"

"Of course. Go ahead and listen to it if you want to," he replied.

I nodded, and I pressed the play button on the recording on my phone screen.

"So shall we put this question from integration? It's quite tricky," Hiyori's sweet voice echoed out of my phone.

"I think that question is a good one. Besides, I was thinking of putting in the third question from the workbook. But if we're going with Shiina-shi's question, then I don't think this will be necessary."

"But isn't this question worked out in class? It'll be free marks if we use it."

The conversation continued, and I silently listened to the recording, with Tokito standing a few meters away from me, staring at me with dead eyes.

"Fine," I said decisively, and I turned off the phone. "I'll listen into the entire conversation later. It seems to be quite long, almost stretching into 2 hours."

"I think I have upheld my part of the deal," Tokito replied crisply. "I really hope that you do as well, Takeyama-kun. I'm counting on you to take down Ryuuen. You're the only one in the entire grade who has the capability to do so."

"You think too highly of me."

"Do I? I don't think so," he replied. "I was certain that you would have been the only one I could have turned to, and you didn't disappoint me."

"I'm glad. I'll be off, then. Throw in the actual questions that you guys will be putting in the next time we meet, yeah?"

"That's... a bit hard. I'll try, nevertheless."

After a quick farewell, the 2 of us headed back towards the dormitories a few minutes after one another, to avoid suspicion.

"This isn't chocolate-flavored."

"Chocolate's too mainstream, senpai."

"But it's the classic. I said chocolate. What the hell is vanilla?"

"It's something that's better than chocolate. Try it."

"I'll spit it out on your face."

"..."

Kiryuin Fuka is annoying.

"You literally asked me to get whatever I liked," I spoke exasperatedly. "And now you're complaining about the flavor?"

"I've got my standards," the beautiful platinum-haired senior said, swishing her long locks around. "I would have been alright with butterscotch, but vanilla?"

"Look, I can't change it now. It took me 15 minutes of standing in that ice-cream parlor's queue to finally get this. If you don't want it, I'm gonna eat both of them."

"Ooo~~ so you're gonna leave your senpai and munch on ice-cream without her?" she asked seductively.

"With all due respect, YES."

"You're rather queer," Kiryuin-senpai sighed, and she snatched the cone from my hand. "I'll have it. But you owe me one."

"I'm the one who stands in the queue, I'm the one who pays for the ice-cream, and I'm the one who owes you now?" I asked, a tad bit annoyed.

"It's a punishment from your senpai for bringing the wrong flavor of ice-cream. You know how some crimes are unforgivable?"

I let out another long sigh, and I stretched back on the wooden bench in the park just outside the school building. Being a bit far away from the dorms, it was relatively empty most of the times, so it was a spot that Kiryuin-senpai would randomly call me to for no reason whatsoever.

"I heard you kouhais have some interesting Special Exam coming up soon," she said, and she loudly slurped the remaining ice-cream, the sound contradicting her elegant appearance. "Give me the details."

"And what will you do even if I do tell you?" I questioned sarcastically.

"As they say, Takeyama, knowledge is power," she replied flatly. "You don't need to do anything with the knowledge you possess. Just know it. It will help later on."

"... denied."

"I'm not asking you, I'm telling you," she replied. "I want to know."

"You know what? I wanna know as well. How do you even know that we have a Special Exam coming up? We first years don't know jackshit about the second years, and third years. Why do you know so much about us?"

"Because Mr. Notice Me Please is like a walking encyclopedia on these matters," she replied. "Now that he's the Prez and all. You're in the Council, aren't you? I would have expected you to know more about the other years."

"I don't think they discuss such matters in front of us," I said. "Besides, isn't it the school that comes up with the Special Exams in the first place? I doubt there would be many chances for Nagumo to actually discuss these matters. That also reminds me that I haven't been to the Council Room in a while now."

Kiryuin laughed. "Of course. I would not expect you to go to the Council and do work now, would I? I'm dead sure you joined just because you wanted some juicy information."

"And it's working," I pointed out. "I get a decent amount of intel on the other years now, except the Special Exams, of course. Plus, you're giving me info right now too, you realize right?"

"That was the intention," she replied haughtily, and she licked her ice-cream scoop. "You see, it's fun to watch what someone as interesting as you can do knowing all this information."

"You might be disappointed."

"That is for me to evaluate, is it not?" she smirked. "And trust me, you haven't disappointed. Yet."

"... maybe you think of me too highly."

"I've said it already, and I'll say it again. It's for me to decide who I think is interesting," she said without a trace of doubt in her tone. "You underestimate yourself. Being humble will only get you so much in life, Takeyama. Sometimes, it's better to let it all out."

"Letting it all out, huh..."

I let out a deep breath into the chilly September air. Autumn was already halfway through.

I want snow...

A/N's:

Sup. Been a while. I've got my exams coming up soon, so I'll prolly go on hiatus for a week or two. Please bear with me, yeah?

Also, remember the new MHA story I was talking about? I've written quite a few chapters already, and I'm planning to release it around the end of February or first week March! So woohoo!

Thank you for reading, and cheers.

Chapter 52 - Realization

"Peep peep, coming through..."

Chiaki strutted into my room while making cute choo-choo train noises, and Yosuke, Horikita, Kiyotaka and Karuizawa walked in soon after.

"Excuse the intrusion," Yosuke said politely, and I locked the door behind us.

"What is it that you wanted to tell us, Kei-chan?" Chiaki asked, and she plopped herself down on my bed.

Remind me not to wash that bed cover.

"It's got to do with the Paper Shuffle," I replied. "And it's extremely important. Horikita gets the gist of it already, so please listen very closely."

Chiaki's smile faded from her face, and it was replaced with a serious look more befitting the atmosphere of the room.

"So? What is it?" Kiyotaka asked me.

"We have a potential spy working for us from Class C."

Silence.

More silence.

"Huh?"

Yosuke muttered incomprehensibly, and Karuizawa tilted her head questioningly. Kiyotaka furrowed his eyebrows.

"I meant exactly what I said. We have a spy working for us from Class C."

"Wait, hold on," Chiaki interjected. "Aren't you making a mistake? Don't you mean there is a spy from Class D working for us?"

"No. I know what I said," I replied crisply. "Hiroya Tokito from Class C. He's working for me."

"But I don't understand, Takeyama-kun," Karuizawa-san spoke up. "Why would someone from Class C work for you?"

"I think he's coming to that, Karuizawa-san," Horikita spoke up for the first time in the room. "I've already confirmed its authenticity. We indeed have someone from Class C working for us. But whether he means good or bad, that is something only time will tell."

"But that still doesn't answer a major question," Yosuke pointed out. "Why? Why would someone from Class C be willing to sabotage their own class? I would understand if they had a huge personal gain out of it, but..."

"There's no personal gain for Tokito here," I said. "He's acting out of pure resistance against Ryuuen."

"Resistance... against Ryuuen?"

"Precisely. Chiaki had herself told me that there still exists a discontent faction within Class C, wholly opposing Ryuuen's regime," I said. "And Hiroya Tokito is the only one left in this group."

"So... he's planning to sabotage his entire class just so he can topple Ryuuen-kun?" Chiaki wondered. "That's so not smart..."

"That's what it looks like on the surface though, right?" Yosuke observed. "I mean, what if he's just pretending to be a spy for us? A potential double-agent with only one true allegiance to Class C?"

"I've thought of that, and I haven't dismissed the possibility at all," I said. "But it is still true that Hiroya Tokito has been giving me quite some useful intel on Class C's internal affairs. Whether it's fake or not, I'll figure it out soon."

"Wait, so like, you haven't figured it out yet?" Karuizawa-san wondered aloud. "I thought someone like Takeyama-kun would have figured that out very quickly..."

I sighed.

"It's not about whether I can figure out his true intentions or not. It's just that currently he's working for me, and it makes little sense to shoo away a potential trump card when there's clearly no underlying risk."

"No underlying risk?" Yosuke fired back. "Isn't it very risky, Keisuke? Even though I admit he could be a trump card for us, he could also be very harmful. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link."

"I have other intentions, Yosuke," I addressed his genuine concerns. "As I've said already, I don't trust him one bit. But isn't it true that we'll miss out on a jackpot if it really does turn out to be true?"

Yosuke fell into silence at my claims, and he rubbed his chin anxiously. "I don't know, Keisuke. I feel it is a bad idea. But I trust you. If you think it's alright, then I'll support you whole-heartedly."

I gratefully nodded at his direction. It sure was a boon to have someone level-headed like Yosuke in the class as well.

"So... we're going to allow him to do his thing?" Chiaki asked uncertainly. "Like you'll keep meeting up with him secretly, trade information, and then eventually he'll let out major spoilers for the exam?"

"I wish it were that easy," I said listlessly. "For all I know, he's probably feeding me the wrong questions, and scripted recordings. Speaking of which."

I quickly whipped out my phone, and navigated to my messages. In the middle of my contacts was a person whose number I hadn't saved — it was Tokito's number.

"So shall we put this question from integration? It's quite tricky."

"I think that question is a good one. Besides, I was thinking of putting in the third question from the workbook. But if we're going with Shiina-shi's question, then I don't think this will be necessary."

"But isn't this question worked out in class? It'll be free marks if we use it."

"This is..." Karuizawa-san muttered, wide-eyed.

"It seems to be a secret recording taken by Tokito himself of the Question Forming Committee in Class C," I said. "This recording is over 2 hours long. I heard the entire thing last night, and the entire recording is just Hiyori, Kaneda-kun, Tokito and another unnamed person discussing the questions."

"Hiyori... first name..." Chiaki muttered inaudibly under breath. Karuizawa-san worriedly looked at Chiaki's direction.

"I think the last person is Morofuji Rika-san," Yosuke answered thoughtfully. "She has very good academic scores, so it makes sense."

"Morofuji Rika, huh..."

I surreptitiously glanced towards Karuizawa-san, and she immediately stiffened under the name.

Yes, she was bullied by her, alright.

I'll keep that name in mind.

"But this... this recording could very well be scripted by Class C," Horikita pointed out. "In fact, I think it almost definitely is scripted. Doesn't the language and tone used by the Class C students in the recording feel a bit... odd?"

She was right. Horikita had indeed pointed out something that I had come to notice as well. As much as I would like to commend Class C for going to such painful lengths just to fool me, it was clear that this was completely scripted. People don't naturally talk like this.

"Huh? But what's odd about it?" Karuizawa-san questioned. "I mean, I know we can suspect this recording, but... what's actually wrong with it?"

"The amount of talking each person does," I replied casually.

"The amount of... talking?"

"In the recording, once you've heard the entire thing, you'll come to realize one thing — Kaneda is usually the one who speaks up after Hiyori, while Morofuji-san speaks up after Kaneda. Hiroya only butts in once in a while. In other words, it's too organized."

"Too organized? You figured out that they're staging an act just because it's too organized?" Karuizawa-san asked me, perplexed.

"When you talk to your friends in a group, is there a particular order in which you speak?"

Karuizawa-san furrowed her eyebrows. "Well, obviously not..."

"But in the recording, almost 95% of the time Kaneda speaks after Hiyori, and Morofuji speaks after Kaneda. Tokito butts in in between Kaneda and Morofuji. That's strange, isn't it? If this were a normal conversation, you'd expect a much more random flow of events."

"That's true..."

Karuizawa-san fell into a thoughtful state, and Chiaki stared at me with an aloof expression.

"That makes it painfully clear that Tokito-kun is just staging this," Horikita said decisively. "Shouldn't you break off this deal now, Takeyama-kun? You've dragged it far enough."

"Hmm? But why?" I asked, confused.

"Why? Because he's obviously not helping!" Horikita exclaimed. "Why would you need someone who's feeding you the wrong information?"

"I've already said it, Horikita. It's better to continue to let Tokito-kun do his thing," I replied. "Besides, the only ones who know about this matter are the ones inside this room. So there's no chance of it leaking out to our Class or the others."

"That's not the point, is it? I'm just saying Tokito-kun is an unnecessary factor affecting our preparations for the Final Exam."

"Whether he's necessary or not is something that I would like to decide," I replied curtly. "But I assure you, he's currently being more than useful."

Horikita stared at me for a while, before letting out a disappointed sigh. "I see. Do what you deem fit. But I'll never understand why you're even allowing interaction with him."

I decided to ignore that question.

"You still haven't told us the details of this agreement that you have with Tokito-kun, Keisuke," Yosuke pointed out. "I mean, what does he get out of this?"

"According to him, he'll pin the blame of Class C's loss on Ryuuen in front of the entire class, and then shake him from the centerstage," I replied. "It works well for Class D, if you think about it."

"It's too good to be true," Chiaki said. "But I trust Kei-chan. So as long as he's sure that there's no problem, then there is no problem."

"Good. Also, I specifically invited you guys over because I don't want anyone else in Class to know about this," I said. "Tokito actually doesn't want me to expose our deal to anyone, fearing he might be reprimanded by Ryuuen in case it gets out into public. So I want everyone here to swear on secrecy."

"Of course," Yosuke said cheerfully. "Everything that happens in this room, stays in this room."

"But I'm a bit surprised that you didn't invite Kushida-san over," Karuizawa pondered over. "Isn't she also a figurehead of the class? Besides, why is Ayanokoji-kun here?"

Karuizawa pointed towards the stoic individual, who hadn't spoken a word since entering my room. He lightly looked towards me.

Painful that Karuizawa had to ask this question.

"I invited him because I trust Kiyotaka," I said. "Since he stays with Horikita, it would lead to unnecessary doubt if he somehow gets to know about this."

Karuizawa seemed satisfied with my answer. "But Kushida-san? Why didn't you invite her?"

"She doesn't need to know," I replied curtly. "Kushida-san is well-suited as the class moderator. I don't want to put her in an unnecessarily tight spot by asking her to choose sides and involve herself in betrayal tactics. She's the person who can keep the class together, and I want it to stay that way."

Yosuke nodded along with my explanation.

"So, is that it?" Horikita finally said, and she picked herself off from my chair. "I must get going now. I have quite a few questions to make for the Paper Shuffle. It's less than 2 weeks away now."

That was true. The Paper Shuffle Exam was exactly 11 days from today.

It was time to set the plan in motion.

It was currently 8pm, and I was taking a leisurely stroll outside the school building, darting in between random alleys every now and then.

Just as I turned onto the main road once again, I noticed an individual walking towards the Third Year Dormitories, and they noticed me almost instantly as well.

Manabu Horikita slowly and regally made his way towards me, and he was followed by his one and only stick-like-glue secretary Akane Tachibana.

"Good evening, senpai."

"What are you doing outside the Third Year Dormitories so late at night?" he fired his question without even greeting me.

"Why, is it not allowed?"

"Rude kouhai!" Tachibana-senpai screamed. Both Manabu and I ignored her.

"It is. It's just strange since not many First Years come this way," he replied. "I forgot to congratulate you on your victory in the Sports Festival. Kudos to you."

He slowly clapped his hands, as thought mocking me in some sort fashion I wasn't too used to.

"Class 3-A won as well, right?" I replied. "It's not that big of a deal."

"It is, I would say. After that abysmal performance my sister pulled off in the Festival, I indeed am very impressed that you managed to guide your class to victory," he said.

"Horikita-senpai, you're pathetic."

Manabu slowly widened his eyes, and he stared at me with an unintentional glare.

Tachibana looked like she was losing it.

"W-w-what!? One of the most influential persons in the entire school, the model student of ANHS, and you call this man pathetic!? Aren't you the Secretary of the Student Council?! Is this how you treat your predecessors?"

"Tachibana, could you give us some privacy? I want to talk to him alone for a while," Senior Horikita said, while continuing to keep his vision on me.

"B-but Horikita-kun..."

"It's alright. You can wait in the Dormitory Lobby if you're worried."

Tachibana shot me one dirty stare, before she turned on her heels and walked away towards the dormitory.

"That was quite uncalled for," Horikita-senpai said, once Tachibana was out of earshot.

"It was deserved."

"Care to explain?"

"You continue to call your sister useless, and mark her as a failure. You don't even know anything about her, and yet you manage to make such disconcerting statements regarding her. It irked me, that's it."

"Don't know anything about her? I'm her elder brother, Takeyama. I have known her for over 15 years. You, on the other hand, do not know anything about her. You're not in the position to make comments on that matter," he replied. His voice was growing a bit colder by the second.

"When was the last time you properly talked to your sister, Horikita-senpai?"

Manabu furrowed his brows, and stared at me with an unreadable expression. "What are you getting at?"

"I'm asking you a simple question. If you really do know so much about your precious little sister, when was the last time you talked to her? It doesn't need to be in person. Over the phone? Or via chat?"

Manabu stared at me.

"I... I don't remember."

"So you understand now, don't you? This is your Third Year in ANHS. You've been in this school for 2 years more than Suzune, so you obviously couldn't contact her during that period. When your sister herself joined the school, the only time I even remember you talking to her was behind the alley beside the vending machine, during the first month of school. And that doesn't even qualify as talking. I've heard 2 baboons make a more meaningful conversation."

Manabu wore a surprised expression. "You were there when that took place?"

"Have I been exposed? Well, I was there. I saw it happen. It was painfully irritating to watch."

"Suzune cowers under my shadow, Takeyama," Manabu said indignantly. "She tries to reach out to me, and she neglects her self-growth in the process. I'm doing what I believe is right to send her down the right path."

"But how can you be sure you're doing it the right way?"

"..."

"You're her brother, Manabu Horikita. Your aim is not to push her down, harass her, and then expect her to grow after learning from her mistakes. You're supposed to be setting an example."

"..."

Manabu stared at me listlessly, digesting every word I was uttering that night.

"You called Suzune useless, did you not? Let me give you a brief rundown. She was the one who cancelled Ken Sudo's suspension in our Class. Just the next week, she was the one who again cancelled Ken Sudo's expulsion this time. During the Island Exam, your sister delegated the groups, and made sure everything was going as smoothly as it should. Even though she fell sick during the third day, she didn't let anyone know about her condition, so that she would not waste precious Class Points."

Manabu silently listened to my rant.

"She was the one who fought against a Class C girl while running a fever of over 102 degrees. During the Zodiac Exam, she managed to secure the First Outcome despite being in a group which consisted of all the top heads of the grade in her group. In the Sports Festival, she was a victim of an intense scandal and false blame, yet she braved through it all on her own and stood her ground until the very end. Furthermore, she was the one who pacified the angry Ken Sudo, and brought him back."

"..."

Manabu continued to stare at me. The fierce grip he had created with his fists slowly loosened, and he fell into a deep silence, staring down the ground between us.

"So you understand right?"

He looked up at me one last time.

"You aren't helping Suzune one bit. You're only being detrimental to her growth. A person who can become much more capable than she already is."

"You're the one who's blocking the path."

Manabu stared at me.

There was an eerie silence between us, and I let out a long sigh.

"I don't think there's anything more I wanted to say. If you can refute any of my statements, feel free to. But I'll get going now. It's unadvisable to stay out for this long. Good night, senpai."

Saying so, I turned around, and walked back towards the Dormitory.

"Wait."

Manabu Horikita called out to me, and I turned around to look at the ex-SCP.

"Hmm?"

"Thank you."

Words of genuine gratitude flowed out from his mouth, and he bowed at my direction.

I smiled to myself, and left the man standing alone.

A loud bang sounded outside my door, and I was jolted awake from my slumber. I looked at my clock.

"11:30pm...?"

Who was here at this hour of night?

I groggily jumped out of my bed, and I walked towards the still-furiously banging door.

I opened the latch, and the door was thrust open on my face, and I jumped back to avoid being whacked by it on my face.

"Horikita...?"

Said girl was sweating profusely, her black bangs in a disheveled state, and she was panting heavily. Had she taken the stairs?

"Horikita? What's wrong? Are you sick?"

She did not respond, and she held up her phone in front of my face, her hands trembling.

"Nii-san... wants to meet me."

Announcement - [2]

Hello everyone! So if you're reading this, this means you've literally stuck with me for over 60 chapters and for over 3 months of this story, and I want to extend a big thank you to each and every one of my readers.

You guys keep me going, man.

Also, this announcement is VERY VERY IMPORTANT.

Because after I finish the Paper Shuffle Arc, which is just 4 more chapters, I wanna take a break from 'Another Like Me'.

This probably comes as a shocker to quite a few of you, but hey, I'm not discontinuing it. I'm just taking a break from it.

And while I take a break from this, I'm going to be working on my MHA Fanfic. It's due to be out soon, so you can think of this chapter as a promotional advertisement (?)

It's a BNHA x Male Villain Reader, 'Eye of God'. (title a bit cringe but it's worth it)

_

_

There was no one in the world who hadn't heard of (F/N) (L/N).

The world hated him.

The feeling was mutual.

The Heroes took away everything from him.

It was his turn to do the same.

*

"They don't care."
"They only care about themselves."
"They cannot keep promises."
"Promises are made to be broken."

The world spun around me, and I let myself get dragged into the dark, bottomless pit of despair.

*
_

Yeah well that was me copy-pasting the description.

So Another Like Me will be suspended for an indefinite amount of time. I feel like the Paper Shuffle is a good place to stop.

Please continue to support me as a writer, and thank you! Go ahead and check out this story. I've already uploaded a guide.

Cheers.

_

Chapter 53 - Submission

Four days until the Paper Shuffle Exam.

Today is the day I, Hiroya Tokito, finally enact out the last stage of the plan, after such painstaking preparations.

"Oi, Tokito. You got your shit ready?"

I inwardly felt my anger boil over when I heard his snappy voice.

Kakeru Ryuuen.

The sole dictator of Class C, and its de facto Leader.

And I was currently acting as a spy for Class C, by gaining Takeyama Keisuke's attention, and hoping he would fall for such a cheap trick.

Ryuuen's methods are dumb.

How can he even hope to assume that someone like Takeyama Keisuke will fall for such a lame trick? The initial plan is to gain Takeyama's interest by showing him false evidence that I was against Ryuuen, and then feeding him scripted information that was acted out by our classmates.

If Ryuuen really thinks Takeyama will fall for this without a second thought, he really ought to get his head checked.

"The questions are ready, right?" I said in an annoyed tone. "I'm going over to submit the questions now. I'll text Takeyama to meet me up."

"Do it fast," Ryuuen said lazily. "Clock's ticking, Tokito."

I pursed my lips, but did not say anything.

I just wanted to get this over with.

I slowly took out my phone, and drafted a text for Takeyama, which stated that I was ready to submit the questions to Sakagami-sensei, and that we can meet up in around 20 minutes.

I received a reply almost instantly, saying that he would be down by the school gates in around 5 minutes.

"I already got a reply," I said to Ryuuen, who was standing alongside Ibuki-san, Ishizaki and Albert. "He says he'll be there by the school gates in around 5 minutes."

"Good," Ryuuen replied. "Make sure you don't fuck up, Tokito. Or I won't leave you in one piece."

I nodded absentmindedly to his threat, and after checking the contents of the Question Paper in my hands one last time, I walked out of the classroom, and closed the door behind me.

I ran down the staircase, and all the way to the school gates. It was a Saturday, so it would be suspicious if Takeyama saw me walking out of the school building. I needed to act like I had been alone this entire time, and had just arrived from my dormitory.

I reached the school gates panting, and I looked around.

He hadn't arrived yet.

Good.

I calmed myself down, and took a few deep breaths.

After a few minutes, a person walked towards me dressed in casual clothes, and stood a few meters away from me.

Takeyama Keisuke. The man I had called to meet.

"Show me the papers," he asked nonchalantly, and he held out his hand.

I nodded, and passed him the Question Paper in my hand, covered inside a brown file. He swiftly opened the folder, and went through the questions inside.

After around a minute, he sighed, and placed the papers back inside the folder.

"Looks like it's all good," he said. "The questions are the same as the ones you sent me yesterday."

"I won't break out on the deal, Takeyama-kun," I lied. "I upheld my part of the deal. You guys are gonna breeze through this Exam now."

"How will you explain the results to your Class?" he asked me a genuine question. "Once the results are out, and Class D completely dominates Class C in terms of average marks, how will it be explained to Ryuuen? He will definitely know that someone from his Class submitted the Question Paper without his consent."

"I'll have that explained," I said curtly. "You don't have to worry about it, Takeyama-kun. Ryuuen won't know who the traitor is without proof. He cannot reprimand me."

Takeyama stared at me silently for a few seconds, and then closed his eyes.

"Very well. Anyhow, that is your problem to deal with. It has nothing to do with me. So shall we get going?"

I nodded, and the two of us set out on a long, silent walk to the Male Teacher's Faculty Office. It was different from that of the Female Teacher's, which was on the Third Floor. The Faculty Office we were headed to was a different room on the Third Floor.

At last, we arrived in front of the Faculty Office.

I knocked on the door twice, and after a few moments, Sakagami-sensei himself slid the door open.

"Tokito-kun? And..."

His wrinkled face showed signs of recognition, and his eyes darted between Takeyama and I.

"Takeyama Keisuke, sensei," he replied curtly to sensei's questioning gaze.

"I understand. But your homeroom teacher is Chabashira-sensei, is it not? I believe I cannot help you with matters regarding the class," Sakagami-sensei answered. "Besides, judging from the brown folder in Tokito-kun's hands, this is regarding the Paper Shuffle?"

"He's a witness, sensei," I said. "Please do not mind his presence."

Sakagami-sensei nodded along with my explanation, and I gave him the brown folder with the Question Paper inside.

Takeyama-kun intently stared at the folder, as sensei took out the Question Paper and scanned through the questions. His eyes widened.

"This is..."

Of course. Sensei would realize that the questions are far too simple for this Exam.

"Please don't mind them, sensei," I replied quickly. "Just tell me if they're fine or not."

Sensei immediately regained his composure, and cast Takeyama-kun a fleeting glance. Their eyes made contact, and sensei involuntarily stiffened up.

Finally, Sakagami-sensei sighed,

"They're fine. I'll accept these questions."

"Thank you, sensei," I replied quickly, but Takeyama-kun stopped me in my tracks.

"Tokito-kun. I have one last favor to ask of you."

I turned to face the black-haired man.

"What is it?"

"I've checked the paper myself, and I know that there are no mistakes as such in the paper, which would force Sakagami-sensei to return it back to you for corrections. However, I want you to stay for a bit."

He then turned towards Sakagami-sensei.

"Sensei, if you don't mind, can you please go through the questions right now? I want to know whether these questions are fine or not."

I see. Takeyama Keisuke was being extremely cautious.

In the off-chance that sensei and I had a deal, he would force sensei to check and confirm the questions right now. In that way, it would be against the rules of the exam to take back the question paper once it had been approved already.

Sensei did not mind, and he headed back inside to check on the questions.

In a few minutes, he returned back to the doorway. "All the questions are perfectly fine, and are in syllabus."

"Does that mean I can assume that as of today, 27th September, these questions cannot be taken back by Class C?"

He asked a very formal question, but sensei replied nevertheless. "That is correct. Class C cannot take back these questions from me anymore. It would be considered against the rules of the exam to do so."

He slowly nodded.

"Thank you, sensei."

Uttering such words of gratitude, we left the Faculty Office and headed back towards the school gates.

"Well, I think that's that," he said in a bored voice. "You actually managed to submit the Question Paper without Ryuuen knowing. I'm impressed."

"It was nothing great," I replied. "I think we should part ways. I cannot be seen hanging out with you like this."

Saying so, I quickly ejected myself out of the conversation, and I walked back towards the dormitory. Takeyama also followed a bit after me, and we walked back in silence.

We reached the lobby, and after splitting up, he returned to his room on the fourth floor.

As soon as the elevator stopped on the fourth floor, and I had confirmed that he had indeed exited the elevator, I dashed out of the lobby, and ran back to the school.

I had to meet up with Ryuuen-kun.

"You're late, Tokito," Ryuuen said. "Was expecting you to finish off the job faster."

I bit my tongue to prevent myself from retorting back.

"Did it work?" Ibuki asked me with a tone of arrogance.

"It did. Sakagami-sensei played his part well. Even though we've already submitted the real Question Paper yesterday, sensei did not show any signs of letting it out," I replied.

"So that old hag's good for something, after all," Ryuuen laughed. "Takeyama's gonna be so pissed when he finds out."

"But what is the point of all this, Ryuuen?" I asked exasperatedly. "I mean, I'm dead sure that Takeyama would not fall for such a measly trap. He's probably laughing behind our backs right now, wondering how dumb we are."

"Now now, Tokito," Ryuuen soothed. "I told you our plan worked, didn't I? So don't question me. You've done your job. Leave the rest to the adults, capisce?"

I grit my teeth. I wanted to retort back to Ryuuen, but Albert's overwhelming presence behind him stopped me from doing so.

"To be honest, I have the same question," Ibuki finally asked. "It's not just you, Tokito-kun. Ryuuen didn't tell anyone about this. I don't understand why you think Takeyama is gonna fall for this."

Ishizaki piped up. "Hey, Ibuki! Shouldn't we be trusting Ryuuen-san more than this!? I'm sure he's got something up his sleeve."

Ryuuen merely snickered.

"Of course, like the idiots you are, you don't see the plan within the plan," he spoke up. "And you don't need to see or know about it either. Things are going to get very interesting, mind you."

(Takeyama Keisuke POV)

I slowly exited the elevator at the Fourth Floor after splitting up with Tokito.

As soon as the elevator doors closed upon itself, I turned around and dashed into the staircase back to the ground floor, trying to keep as quiet as possible.

As soon as I reached the landing at the lobby, I slowly pushed open the doorway leading into the lobby.

Just as I expected, the elevator was still not in use, and Tokito was nowhere to be seen.

He had told me that he would be going back to his room after a bit, but he's not even down here in the lobby.

Of course, he must have gone somewhere.

To meet Ryuuen.

There goes my last hope that Tokito really was colluding with me against Ryuuen.

I walked to the elevator again, and I pressed the button to the 11th Floor.

"Takeyama-kun... ?"

Horikita was dressed in a skirt, with a cute blue top, and she stared at me with furrowed eyebrows through the doorway into her room.

"Wanna submit the questions?"

Horikita widened her eyes. "But we're not done with it yet. You yourself told all of us yesterday that the questions will take another 2 days to complete."

"That was just an act," I said nonchalantly. I swiped out a brown paper folder, similar to the one that Tokito had given Sakagami-sensei. "Let's go before it gets too late."

"R-right," she muttered incomprehensibly, and she closed the door on me.

I heard some rummaging going on inside the room, and after a few minutes, she opened the door once again, and she came out. "Let's go, then."

I nodded, and we continued on silently towards the school building. She occasionally glanced at me furtively, but then immediately looked back straight.

"Nii-san called me the other day," she finally spoke up.

I decided to keep quiet.

"What did he say?"

"That..." she trailed off. "I... don't know myself... how do I explain it..."

She nervously fidgeted around, and clutched at the helm of her skirt. "Nii-san... he approved of me... he said that he recognized my potential and the hardwork that I've been putting towards reaching Class A..."

"He said that he believes I can reach Class A."

She whispered the last part quietly, and the conversation lulled again.

So Horikita-senpai really heeded to my words...

"He also said another thing," she breathed out. "He said... that he's truly sorry for abandoning me... and that he wanted to thank you, Takeyama-kun."

Horikita looked at me with eyes filled with deep gratitude and meaning.

"You... you changed everything, Takeyama-kun..." she said quietly. "You convinced my brother... you did something that I have been trying to achieve for over 10 years."

She stopped dead in her tracks, and stared at me with moist eyes.

"I'm truly grateful, Takeyama-kun. Thank you so much."

The wind whistled past the girl, and her black hair flowed enchantingly through the red dusk.

If there was a tumbleweed rolling behind here right now, it would have been the perfect scene for a cowboy fight.

"It's nothing, really," I said. "I just thought that you don't get as much as you deserve."

She nodded meekly. "But how did you convince Nii-san? It seems nigh impossible, what with him being the ex-SCP and stuff..."

"It's that attitude of yours that you need to change, Horikita," I said. Horikita visibly stiffened up.

"What... attitude?"

"What if he is the ex-SCP? Does that make him any less approachable? He's your brother, for god's sake. You can talk to him whenever you want to," I replied. "You judge people based on their positions and power. I don't. To me, everyone is the same. To me, the SCP is as much approachable as Ike Kanji is."

For the first time that evening, Horikita laughed. "That was really mean."

"You should laugh more often, Horikita," I said. "You look much prettier when you do."

Tsundere-kita turned a bright shade of red. "S-shut up! Goddamn it, when I was starting to actually respect you..."

"We're wasting time, aren't we?" I muttered. "I think we'd better submit our questions. And you can go through them right now. I'd advise you to, actually."

"I already know all the questions that are present," Horikita replied. "I trust you with the rest of them."

"I insist."

"Tch... fine."

Horikita clicked her tongue, and snatched the brown paper folder from my hands. Did she revert back to tsundere?

She read though the question paper, and blinked a few times.

"... what is this?"

She muttered under her breath, and continued to go through the questions of all the subjects. "I don't understand... what are these questions? We didn't make these."

"I made them," I said. "I made these questions."

"I understand..." she trailed off. "I don't see any of the questions that our class made together at all... did you make these questions all on your own... ?"

She stood bewildered her eyes, and it suddenly hit her.

Why I went through the pain of doing all of this.

"Kushida-san..." she mumbled.

"Of course," I replied. "Kushida-san was always there in the study groups, and the Question Forming Committee. She was always around only when the 2 of us left."

"She was secretly trying to gather all of the questions from the rest of the Committee, like from Yukimura-kun, Wang-san and Hirata-kun?" Horikita wondered. "So you framed a completely different question paper set, which consists of questions that only you are aware of..."

She wrinkled her forehead, as though in deep thought.

"I don't understand. Remember when you asked me to accompany you to visit Chabashira-sensei, and then asked sensei to decline any questions that come from anyone that's not the 2 of us?" she reminded me. "Why would Kushida-san go through the pain of memorizing the questions that our class was making, if she was going to submit another question paper which was given to her by Ryuuen-kun?"

"It's a precaution."

"A... precaution?"

"Yes," I replied curtly. "In other words, Ryuuen is wholly aware that you're allowed to make a deal, like the one I've made with Chabashira-sensei."

Horikita widened her eyes. "Then that means..."

"Kushida has actually submitted Ryuuen's paper already. We're going to go meet Chabashira-sensei right now, aren't we? We'll see of ourselves."

"And in the case that Kushida-san's question paper doesn't make the cut, she's also memorized all the questions that our class was working on anyways, so that Class C would be prepared for both of them," Horikita connected the dots. "And that's the reason you went through the pain of making a completely different Third Question Paper. Only you are aware of this."

"Correct," I said. "Well done, I guess."

"But you just went along with Tokito-kun to submit Class C's questions, did you not?" Horikita asked me. "What if that was all a farce? Maybe they've already submitted their real Question Paper — and Tokito-kun just tagged you along to submit a fake."

"That's exactly what happened," I replied listlessly.

"Wait," she replied hoarsely. "Then what was the point of going through all the trouble of meeting up with Tokito-kun for the past week?"

"You know the rules of the Special Exam, don't you?"

Horikita looked at me questioningly, and slowly comprehended what I was trying to say. "You mean to say... new Question Papers will not be accepted if a previous one has already been approved?"

"Bingo," I said dismissively. "And Sakagami-sensei confirmed in front of me that he 'approved' of the Question Paper that Tokito submitted. So taking back the Question Paper is now impossible for Class C."

"Hold on," Horikita said. She tried to gauge the situation slowly. "Are you trying to say that Class C has unintentionally dug their own grave?"

"No, that's not what I'm trying to say," I replied. "Ryuuen is not the type of person to make such a rookie mistake. Currently, there are 2 possibilities. One, Ryuuen has already submitted Class C's question papers beforehand, and Sakagami-sensei is also involved in the plan to act as though Tokito's paper was the first one to arrive."

"And what is the second possibility?" Horikita asked curiously.

"The second possibility is that I overestimated Ryuuen, and that he really did make a rookie mistake of submitting Tokito's paper before he submitted the real Class C Question Paper," I replied. "The probability of the second option is almost slim to none, so I'm gonna go with the first one."

"That makes sense, but I don't see how we can counter it anymore," Horikita replied. "If Class C had already submitted their Question Paper before Tokito-kun submitted his 'false paper', then there's nothing we can do now to stop it. There was no point of tailing Tokito-kun for a while week, right?"

"We can, in fact," I replied. "But that's for a later day."

"Tch... you leave me hanging when it's the most important part of the conversation," Horikita said in an annoyed voice.

Our conversation came to an abrupt halt when we reached the Faculty Office. I knocked on the door twice, and thankfully, Chabashira-sensei was the one who opened the door.

"Takeyama? Horikita? Anything you need?" she asked.

"We're here to submit the Question Paper for the Paper Shuffle," Horikita said, and she handed the brown paper folder to Chabashira-sensei.

Sensei immediately clasped the folder, and went through the questions then and there.

After a few minutes of tense waiting, Chabashira-sensei sighed, and she placed the papers back inside. "They're all good. Quite the dangerous level of questions you have in here. However, since it's within the acceptable range of questions, it'll be approved."

"Thank you, sensei," I replied earnestly. "By the way, did you receive any other question papers before this one?"

Chabashira-sensei looked at me, and closed her eyes. "Unfortunately, I did. The last thing I wanted was for a traitor to surface inside Class D. But there's nothing to worry about. I accepted the questions only in name. The question paper that you just provided me with will be used for the Final Paper Shuffle."

"So Kushida-san really did submit Ryuuen-kun's questions..." Horikita muttered. "We would have been toast if you hadn't thought of this strategy before, Takeyama-kun."

I slightly nodded. "Well, that's that. Looks like we're pretty much done here."

The two of us left the Faculty Room, and headed back to the dormitories.

"Ah," I realized. "Before I forget, Horikita."

I took out my mobile phone, and navigated to Tokito's chat. There were soft copies of the Question Paper that he submitted today along with me.

I forwarded the pictures to Horikita.

"There. Ask everyone in class to memorize these questions thoroughly before the Paper Shuffle."

Horikita looked as me with utter confusion. "But these are Tokito-kun's questions, aren't they? It's impossible for these to show up on the Final Exam! Are you really still assuming that Tokito is betraying Class C?"

"Do you trust me, Horikita?"

Horikita's gaze faltered as soon as I asked her this question.

"... I do," she replied. "But I don't understand why you're asking the class to memorize these questions."

"You'll understand in due time, Horikita. You'll definitely understand. I've got some extra work to do now. Care if I leave for a bit?"

"Will you stop if I ask you to?" she scoffed.

Letting out a small smile, I walked back to the school building, leaving Horikita out in the evening sunset.

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Classroom of the Elite is finally getting Season 2.

Chapter 54 - Retaliation

The day of the Paper Shuffle was finally here.

If I had to be honest, my study group was in very good shape.

After I had announced in class for everyone to refer to the scanned question paper that Horikita had sent in the group, all the study groups had diligently worked out all the questions of all subjects in the paper.

I was confident in everyone's abilities this time.

"Phew! I'm kinda actually prepared for the exam this time!" Ike said loudly. "Like, I might actually get 70-ish in these papers!"

"70? That's like, way too low, man," Yamauchi scoffed. "Watch me get a 100 in all the subjects."

"Huh? You're gonna get 100, Haruki? Keep dreaming," Sudo said. "I'm real confident this time 'round. Probably 70, like Kanji said."

Chabashira-sensei walked into the classroom. All chatter subsided, and sensei surveyed the classroom silently.

As soon as the gong struck 8:45am, she distributed the question paper, with its seal still on.

The going struck 9, and everyone tore open their question papers. I tore mine open too, and I read through all the questions inside.

There were loud gasps and murmurs throughout the room, and everyone looked at me with stars in their eyes.

I smirked.

This was going to be a piece of cake.

(Third Person POV)

Kakeru Ryuuen was pissed.

He was currently waiting at the school rooftop, clutching what seemed to be a piece of paper in his hands. He was waiting for someone to show up.

Soon enough, the door to the rooftop banged open with much more force than was required, and a girl with short, beige-colored hair and a livid look on her face, walked in and stood next to Ryuuen.

"Yo, Kikyo."

"Ryuuen-kun, you bastard."

Ryuuen scoffed. "Who're you calling a bastard? You need me to teach you how to talk to your superiors?"

"Shut up," Kushida growled. She was nothing like what the rest of the grade, save for a few, knew her as. The change in her demeanor was frightening.

"Kuku," Ryuuen laughed heartily. "You slam in through the door, plant yourself next to me, call me a bastard, and expect me to endure it like a fucking potato?"

"I wouldn't have called you a bastard it I didn't deem it right," Kushida said menacingly. She shoved her hands into her blazer's pocket, and she pulled out a crumpled sheet of paper.

"What the fuck is this?"

"Hmm? Is that the question paper you guys got?" Ryuuen sneered. "You literally had the answer key with you, Kikyo. Don't tell me you still managed to get your ass whooped? You're a lot dumber than they make you out to be."

"No, asshole," Kushida growled. "Read this yourself."

Ryuuen's smile faltered, and he snatched the paper out of Kushida's hand. He scanned through the question paper, and his eyes widened in surprise.

"Do you see it now?" Kushida said menacingly. "This isn't the same question paper that you provided me the answer key to. This is completely different. But it isn't even hard. A grade schooler can solve this paper."

"No way..." Ryuuen muttered. "This paper... is Tokito's..."

"I can't hear you over your incompetence, Ryuuen," Kushida taunted. "You were supposed to submit a hard paper, whose answer key is currently in my pocket."

Saying so, Kushida pulled out another piece of paper, which had all the solutions to a certain question paper.

"Where is this question paper? You promised you would submit a hard question paper in return for me getting that Horikita bitch expelled," Kushida said. "The fuck is this?"

"Wow..." Ryuuen's initial surprise morphed into sadistic glory. "He got me again, that bastard..."

"So you lost to Takeyama again?" Kushida taunted. "You're pathetic, Ryuuen."

"Shut up, Kikyo, or I'll kill you," Ryuuen said. "And before you go all high and mighty about it, why don't you take a look at this?"

Ryuuen shoved the paper that he was holding into Kushida's face, and she stumbled back.

"You keep saying shit like how I messed up. What the fuck is this then?"

Kushida slowly grasped the paper that Ryuuen sent her way with both her hands, and peered into it carefully. Her eyes widened.

"What is this...?"

"It's the Question Paper that Class C received today morning," Ryuuen said. "This isn't anything like the Question Paper I gave you, Kikyo. It doesn't match the other Question Paper either — the one that Class Defect was actually making."

"Wait, what... how is this possible... I submitted the question paper without fail, and Chabashira-sensei accepted it as well..." Kushida mumbled under her breath.

"Oh yeah? Then explain this. The Question Paper that was supposed to go to Class D, did not, and instead, a completely simple paper which Takeyama already had the solutions to was sent. On the other hand, the simple paper we were supposed to receive did not come, neither did the paper that Class D was actually planning to send us. We instead got an insanely difficult paper, with a fucked up level of questions." Ryuuen growled.

"I... I d-don't understand," Kushida muttered. "I submitted the paper that you provided me with, Ryuuen. And then I even took pictures of the the question paper that everyone in my class was working on... this is impossible... where did those questions go..."

"He made a fool out of us," Ryuuen said. "Takeyama completely fiddled the two of us around. I don't get it. How did that bastard do it? Did Sakagami fuck up somewhere? Did he intentionally provide Class D with the easier question paper, the one that Tokito submitted later?"

"But I submitted the question paper first," Kushida mumbled, paying no heed to Ryuuen's words. "Chabashira-sensei accepted my questions as well... how the hell did it not end up coming to Class C..."

Ryuuen furrowed his eyebrows.

"Oi, Kikyo. Didn't Takeyama send the solutions of Tokito's paper in your class group earlier? Why aren't you aware of the answers in that case?"

"It's because I was sure that those questions wouldn't show up on the paper!" Kushida said wildly. "I was sure that the question paper you had promised to submit would show up, so I didn't bother going through that paper. How did he even do it? How did Takeyama do it?"

"Doesn't really matter now, does it?" Ryuuen scoffed. "Whether you know his strategy or not, it doesn't change the fact that it's all over now. Unfortunately, we gotta face the bitter reality. We had our asses handed to us by Takeyama Keisuke. Again."

"Tch... and I thought I could get that Horikita bitch expelled once and for all," Kushida muttered. "But there still is a chance that I can expel her, right? I mean, the question paper Class D received was, after all, really simple. I know I did well, and there's still a chance that Horikita might have messed up the paper."

"Ain't happening," Ryuuen said matter-of-factly.

"You keep your nose out of this, Ryuuen," Kushida threatened. "You don't need to shove it in my face."

Ryuuen did not say anything, but merely smirked. "You're so naïve, Kikyo..."

Saying such, he suddenly leapt forward, startling Kushida, and extended his right arm towards her breast.

"...!? What are you doing, you pervert!?"

Kushida tried to back off Ryuuen's hand, but it was firmly clasped on her blazer's button. Ryuuen skillfully unbuttoned the blazer, and rummaged inside her breast pocket.

"Stop it, you asshole!"

Ryuuen pulled back his hand, but with it, out came a piece of paper, folded tightly.

Kushida looked at the paper questioningly, while still covering her chest with her arms. "What is that...?"

"This?" Ryuuen taunted. "This, Kikyo, is your route to being expelled in case you get more marks than Suzune on this Math test."

"Route to being expelled?! What the hell does that even mean--" Kushida snatched the paper from his hand, and opened up the piece of paper.

"The fuck...?"

In Kushida's hands, was currently a piece of paper which consisted of the answers to the math test that they had written just a few hours ago. Cheat sheets, in particular.

"What? I didn't make this..." Kushida mumbled.

"Maybe you should take out the rest of 'em as well," Ryuuen said. "In your other pockets."

"Other pockets...?" Kushida immediately rummaged through all the pockets on her blazer, and out came over 4 cheat sheets, all of the mathematics paper that Class D had just attempted.

"No way... what is this..."

"It's a way to expose you for cheating in case you score higher than Suzune on the math test," Ryuuen explained. "Someone planted these sheets in your blazer."

"But that's impossible!" Kushida argued. "How can someone do this without me noticing?"

"That's up to you to find out, is it not?" Ryuuen snorted. "I figured out when you pulled out your question paper when you first arrived here. That piece of paper fell out of your pocket." Ryuuen pointed at another folded piece of paper lying on the ground, most probably another cheat sheet.

"When... did this happen...?" Kushida racked her brain as to try to remember when such an incident could have occurred. "Was it...?"

Kushida widened her eyes. "In the karaoke room... when Bitch-zawa threw her orange drink on my uniform..."

"Kuku. Karuizawa threw her orange drink on your uniform?" Ryuuen laughed. "I see. That makes so much sense. So X was involved in this ordeal as well, huh?"

"X? The hell you're blabbering about?"

"Don't sweat it," Ryuuen waved her off. "It's none of your business. Besides, you should be hoping that you end up with lesser marks than Suzune on the Math Test. Otherwise, you'll get expelled."

"That's not a fucking problem now, is it?" Kushida growled. "I can just take off all the cheat sheets on my blazer and uniform now."

"You think that's all there is to this?" Ryuuen asked. "The cheat sheets probably won't be just on your person. It'll be everywhere on your personal belongings as well. Your school bag, your pencil pouch, in between the pages of your books — those suckers can be anywhere. Even if you find all of them, if you miss out on a single piece of paper, you're screwed — because the person who planted these sheets obviously knows where each one of them is."

"That..."

Kushida had no rebuttal to this statement. Because it was 100% correct. Even if she tried her best to sniff out all the cheat sheets on her person and belongings, there was still a chance that she would miss out on a particularly well-hidden one. It was too big of a risk to take.

"So now I have to hope I did worse than Horikita," Kushida seethed. "That's annoying... when I'm supposed to be competing against her, I end up hoping I lose..."

"But that's the beauty that the Mastermind pulled off, isn't it?" Ryuuen said warmly. "We were so thoroughly bested that it hurts. You can't do anything about it at all. So tell me, Kikyo. Karuizawa was the one who threw the juice on you, right? Who else was present in the Karaoke Room at that time?"

"... other than me and Karuizawa, there was Hirata-kun, Horikita-san, Yukimura-kun and Ayanokoji-kun."

"What kind of a fuck-all gathering is that?" Ryuuen asked curiously. "And Takeyama wasn't there?"

Kushida shook her head. "No, he wasn't. It was a meeting just to discuss something about the study groups. Hirata-kun and Horikita-san were enough for that to happen. They didn't want to bother Takeyama-kun, so they didn't call him."

"Takeyama wasn't involved in this...?" Ryuuen muttered under his breath. "Does that mean X and Takeyama are not cooperating again...?"

"What do you keep blabbing about, retard?" Kushida spit venom. "I don't understand what you're even trying to say."

"That's cuz I wasn't talking to you in the first place," Ryuuen dismissed her easily. "Besides, you've got more pressing things to worry about now, you know."

"If you're talking about Hori-bitch, that isn't really a problem. I can just call off the deal in case I get more marks than her," Kushida surmised. "But this, Ryuuen-kun. It was such a well-thought out plan, but nothing worked the way it was supposed to. Everything backfired."

"Everything backfired, indeed," Ryuuen nodded. "And that seriously gets me going... Class Defect is gonna rise up to Class C for sure, and we're gonna fall down to Class D. How weird. I wonder why I'm so excited?"

"... you're strange, Ryuuen-kun."

"Kuku."

With a small laugh, Ryuuen turned to face the sunset from the rooftop.

"Kei Karuizawa is the key..."

(Takeyama POV)

I finally managed to walk out of the classroom after everyone in class started crowding around me, thanking me profusely for managing to acquire the literal same question paper that I had asked them to solve just 2 days prior to this.

I freed myself from the claustrophobic crowd, and I finally made it out of the school building without much hassle.

"Wait!"

A feminine voice called out to me, and I turned to find Horikita, who had been running behind me to catch up.

"What's up?"

"You told me, huff, that you would explain, huff, how you did it," Horikita said, occasionally panting in between and stopping for breaths.

"Right. Why don't we head over to the Pallet or something? It'll be easier to talk," I proposed.

Horikita nodded without thinking twice, and we headed over to the café right opposite to the Pallet, The Brewster.

The two of us took our seats, and ordered a cup of coffee.

"Now, tell me everything," Horikita said, the hint of tiredness vanishing from her voice. "I know most of it, but how did Tokito-kun's paper end up coming to our class?"

"It was simple. I'll let you think about it, Horikita. Do you think anything that we've done in this exam, any strategy that we've pulled off, is within rules?"

Horikita furrowed her eyebrows at my statement. "Of course they're all within rules."

"Wrong. They're all against the rules."

Horikita stared at me incomprehensibly. "What do you mean?"

"Suppose two people are having a fight, and the rules say that you're not allowed to use any sort of gun in the event," I said. "Can the two people in the fight use a weapon?"

Horikita was taken aback at my sudden weird question. "... I mean, no? You're obviously not allowed to use a weapon, right? You just said so yourself."

"I said gun, mind you," I reminded her. "Only guns are not allowed."

"That... I mean, isn't it natural to assume that since guns aren't allowed, no other weapons are allowed?" Horikita responded slowly.

"But that's not mentioned anywhere in the rules, right? I could walk in with a machete and no one would be able to say anything because it isn't actually a gun."

"... I don't understand what you're getting at."

"I'm saying that once a rule states that you're not allowed to take a gun into the fight, it becomes obvious that you aren't allowed to use a machete in the fight either," I replied. "But do the rules explicitly prohibit the usage of a machete?"

"... no."

"And that's a loophole right there, is it not?" I said proudly. "It's understood very clearly that you cannot use any sort of weapons in the fight, but the wording of the rules makes way for such a clear loophole."

"Are you telling me...?"

"I am," I replied. "All this time, we've all been using strategies that work on loopholes. None of these strategies are explicitly forbidden in the rules, but it is clear as day that they are not allowed. I mean, think about it. I requested Chabashira-sensei to accept only the Question Paper that either you or I deliver to her, and reject everyone else's. Isn't that against the rules? I mean, who am I to stop someone else from delivering the questions for our class?"

"That..."

Horikita looked at me with a curious gaze, which dropped down to her lap. She was thinking. Hard.

"I guess... that makes sense... but why are you telling me this now?" she asked. "How is this related to the topic at hand?"

I sipped my coffee. "In other words, what I'm trying to say is that we broke the rules. It's as simple as that. We tweaked around the rules, and used it to our advantage. And we can get away with it very easily, because we're students."

Horikita narrowed her eyes. "Because we're students?"

"What do you think the punishment will be if you break a rule, as a teacher, and as a student?"

"Obviously, it would be less harsh for the student, considering the severity of the crime committed," Horikita muttered. "It would probably just be a deduction in Class Points, or Private Points."

"But for teachers?"

"I cannot be sure, but I'm sure it will be much harsher," Horikita responded slowly.

I nodded once she had reached the crux, and I took out my trusty mobile phone once again. I navigated to the recorder.

"Sensei, if you don't mind, can you please go through the questions right now? I want to know whether these questions are fine or not."

*a long pause*

"All the questions are perfectly fine, and are in syllabus."

"Does that mean I can assume that as of today, 27th September, these questions cannot be taken back by Class C?"

"That is correct. Class C cannot retake back these questions from me anymore. It would be considered to be against the rules of the exam to do so."

"Thank you, sensei."

"This is..." Horikita's eyes widened.

"This is a recording of the time when Tokito and I were submitting Class C's 'fake' Question Paper to Sakagami-sensei," I replied. "What do you think would happen if the school found out about this?"

Horikita was slowly coming to realize what I had done. "Impossible. No way..."

"Yes, Horikita. I threatened Sakagami-sensei."

"You threatened... a teacher?"

"I've done it before, it's not too hard," I replied nonchalantly. "But yes, I threatened him. If the school finds out that Sakagami-sensei accepted a Question Paper already before Tokito's 'fake' paper, he could very well come under some serious scrutiny, right?"

"But that is only assuming that Class C had already submitted their 'real' Question Paper before that," Horikita argued. "What if Class C was planning to submit their 'real' Question Paper on a later date?"

"That wouldn't make a difference now, would it?" I replied. "Look at my wording in the recording. I said, 'Does that mean I can assume that as of today, 27th September, these questions cannot be taken back by Class C?' I mentioned the date on purpose. This way, it wouldn't matter whether the 'real' Question Paper was submitted before or after the 'fake' one, right?"

Horikita looked at me incredulously. "No way... I can't believe it... you threatened a teacher."

"So what?"

Horikita looked me. "Wait. But technically, we did the same thing, didn't we? Chabashira-sensei accepted the 'fake' paper from Kushida-san, and then the 'real' paper from us. How is that any different from what Class C did with Sakagami-sensei?"

"There is only one difference," I said. "And that is that there is no proof."

"No... proof?"

"Prove it to me, Horikita. Prove it that Chabashira-sensei indeed broke the rules of this Special Exam."

Horikita stared at me with big eyes. Of course she won't be able to prove it.

"I see..." she muttered slowly. "Since there is no proof that we colluded with Chabashira-sensei, there is essentially nothing to be done about it... we broke the rules, but it doesn't matter as long as we're not caught."

"Bingo," I said joyously. "And there you have it. Keisuke Takeyama's Guide To Being A Successful Student 101."

Horikita chuckled slightly under he breath. "Really, though. I can't believe it. You had all of this planned out from the very beginning. You kept Tokito-kun by your side because you were gonna use him in the end anyways. You allowed Kushida-san to continue attending the Question Formation sessions because you knew it wouldn't make a difference either way. You're incredible."

I smiled a bit, and took the last sip of my coffee.

"Does anyone else know about the entirety of this plan?" she asked me curiously.

"Chiaki. She already knows everything."

"I see..." Horikita muttered, and the conversation drifted off in an unexpected tangent.

"Hey, Horikita. Did you have a bet with Kushida-san?"

Horikita almost choked on her coffee. "W-w-what?"

"Did you have some sort of bet with Kushida-san?" I asked. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, I was just curious."

"I..."

Horikita stared at me pensively, trying to come up with an excuse for why she hadn't informed me of something so important earlier.

"Yes... I did. We had a bet," she said finally.

"What was it about?"

"We had a bet over who would get a better score on the Mathematics Paper. In case I get more than Kushida-san, then she would leave me and Ayanokoji-kun alone, and stop trying to expel us. But in case she gets more than me, then we'll have to drop out of school," Horikita breathed out.

"Drop... out of school?" I repeated blankly. "Why would you make such a skewered bet?"

"Because I was confident in my abilities," she said.

"Was confident? I notice the use of past tense."

Horikita shifted uncomfortably. "Well, you see, the Mathematics Paper was really easy, so now I'm a bit worried... anyone could get a very good score if they just studied a bit hard... this is why I was a bit apprehensive about letting the Question Paper out into the class group that day... I know I got a perfect score, but it would be all for naught if Kushida-san got a perfect score as well."

I stayed silent, and contemplated the situation. "Why didn't you tell me about this before?"

"I... I didn't want to bother you," Horikita said. "You're anyways really busy, and you're doing so much for us in Class D. It felt wrong for me to drag you into my personal mess."

"I see," I sighed. "Did Kiyotaka know about this bet?"

"He did," she replied. "It concerned the two of us, after all."

"Kushida did not mention me?"

Horikita furrowed her eyebrows. "What do you mean... mention you?"

"I know about her past as well," I replied. "Don't you think it's strange that she did not approach me even though I'm the one who actually holds the most power against her?" I referred back to the recording of Kushida during the first month of school, where she was ranting out all her troubles on the rooftop. It is still in my possession, after all.

"I don't know," she said. "Maybe it's because you had this recording with you that she did not take a chance? Or maybe it's because if she loses this bet, she would lose the opportunity to expel you? Since you're the one she needs to expel the most out of the three of us, she didn't take a chance with you."

"I feel like the first option is more valid. She didn't approach me because of the recording."

"Why are you eliminating the second possibility?" she asked.

"Do you really think Kushida-san will keep her promise?"

Horikita stared at me blankly. "Huh?"

"Do you think that even if you get a higher score on the Mathematics Test than her, she'll stop targeting you?"

"That..."

Horikita narrowed her eyes, and thought about it. "Now that you say it, there is no reason for her to actually adhere to the bet... she'll just try to expel me the next time anyways..."

"That's what I'm saying," I said nonchalantly. "She's not going to adhere to the rules. She's going to try to expel you either ways."

"That's annoying," Horikita said. "Why won't she just leave me alone?"

"I don't know. You want a pancake? I heard they're good here."

"..."

"No? Alright, I'll take one for mysel--"

"I didn't say no," she replied forcefully.

"Tsundere~~"

""

SS.5 - The Greater Good (Shiina Hiyori)

I stared at the Question Paper in front of me.

"What is this..."

I looked around the class. Everyone was staring hard at the question paper, eyes wide and half of them biting their pencils.

Ryuuen-kun was staring at the paper like he wanted to eat it up.

No one knew what was going on.

Ryuuen-kun had said that we would, for sure, get either of the 2 Question Papers that he had forwarded on the class group a few days back.

But this was completely different.

This was neither the first question paper, nor was this the second question paper.

This was the question paper that Keisuke-kun had provided me with yesterday night, via personal messages.

So of course, I knew all the answers on this paper.

But why?

Why did he provide me with the answers to Class D's question paper?

He really was right.

He had told me clearly, "Study these question papers, Hiyori. Don't listen to Ryuuen." And he had forwarded me a bundle of question papers along with their answer keys.

Why did he take such a big risk?

Why did he send these question papers to me, knowing fully well that I could have showed these papers to Ryuuen-kun and the entire Class C?

And when I realized the reason, a joyous, warm feeling clasped my chest.

It's because Keisuke-kun trusts me.

He trusted me, his friend, to keep this between us, even though we're from different classes.

It was proof that he did not want us to break our friendship, even though we're from different classes, with different ideologies.

He trusted me to the degree where he was willing to show me Class D's question paper, with no strings attached.

If I hadn't studied his questions and answers last night, I wouldn't have been able to answer a few of the questions. After all, the paper was quite advanced.

But somewhere else, in another corner of my heart, I felt guilty.

I felt guilty that I did not show these question papers to Class C. This could have been the difference between victory and defeat.

Keisuke-kun purposely gave me a very hard choice to make.

Whether he wanted me to preserve our friendship, or whether he wanted me to deceive him and lead Class C to victory.

But deep down, I know I did the right thing.

He had told me that I was too 'pure' to be bossed around by fanatics like Ryuuen-kun. He wanted me to get a good grade in the Exam.

He said that it was the only thing he could do to in return for destroying Class C.

Even though I'm a part of Class C, it did not hurt me in the least.

I was so happy; happy that Keisuke-kun did something for me. After all, I don't want to betray my class.

But more than that, I don't want to betray my friends.

Keisuke-kun did not betray me. Even though he attacked Class C with full force, he did his best to keep me out of it.

And I want to do the same.

It was the right decision. And I know it.

It was the right decision to not tell Class C about this paper. Because if I did, I would lose my best friend.

I slowly smiled to myself, and proceeded to solve the question paper.

SS.6 - Fearless (Sakayanagi Arisu)

"You don't want me to attack Class D?"

"Yes," he replied curtly. "I'll be very honest — Class A is leaps and bounds better than Class D. We're still a work in progress. There would be no point in trying to defeat me in an Exam where we can't even go up against each other as individuals."

I slowly smiled at the handsome man in front of me. He looked calm, composed, and was confident.

But what he said was the truth, was it not?

I do not care whether I beat Class D or not.

I only care about beating the man sitting in front of me.

"Fufu."

"What is it?" he asked in an annoyed tone. "I hope your answer is a yes. It would be quite boring if it weren't."

"Of course my answer is a yes," I said slowly. "Your wish is my command after all, Takeyama-kun."

"You needn't go that far," he replied quickly. "I just want our battle to be devoid of any other factors. It would pain me to see Class D and Class A interfering."

"I wholeheartedly agree," I said softly. "It is my wish as well, to fight you fair and square after all, Takeyama-kun. Besides, I wasn't planning to attack Class D anyways."

He raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You weren't?"

"Not at all. After all, there is no point in going for the big fish when the net is too small, isn't it?" I replied. "I have decided that Class B will be my target."

"Class B? I don't understand. Not even Class C?" he questioned me.

"I'm doing it for you, Takeyama-kun," I said. "Class D will want to attack Class C, am I correct? So I'll do a favor and make sure I don't interfere. It is evident that Ryuuen-kun will attack Class D as well. If Class A attacks Class B after that, it doesn't matter what choice Class B makes. They will have to fight us."

"This is sad..." he muttered. "It's like we're using Ichinose-san as a guinea pig..."

I let out a quiet laugh. "She's too naïve to really understand our methods, Takeyama-kun."

"I disagree. She's quite capable, Sakayanagi-san. Class B is holding her back."

"Hmm? Class B is holding Ichinose-san back?" I smirked. This conversation had taken an interesting turn. "Why do you say so?"

"Whenever Ichinose-san works alone, that is to say, in Special Exams where you don't need to cooperate with the class, she shines. Remember the Zodiac Exam? I believe Ichinose-san was a major factor there. But when it comes to Class Special Exams like the Island Exam and the upcoming Paper Shuffle, her class will hold her back."

"You do not explain why, Takeyama-kun."

"If I had to pinpoint a reason, I would say it is because of Ichinose-san's good-natured heart. She's almost too kind. It doesn't work in this school. Her class has been almost brainwashed into helping others and refusing to use underhanded tactics, and it is severely hurting their chances and limiting their options."

I slowly adjusted my hat. "But that is her fault, is it not? She was the one who came up with this goody-two-shoes strategy in the first place."

Takeyama-kun did not respond to my statement, and absentmindedly stirred his coffee.

This man is so interesting, it makes my heart leap.

Just a few seconds ago, he was colluding alongside me, and now he was actively supporting and defending Ichinose-san.

He's a man who can take any side in a game and still pull off a victory.

"By the way, Sakayanagi-san," he started. "I have a favor to ask of you."

I tilted my head questioningly. "Takeyama-kun is asking me for a favor?"

"Yes. I hope you won't disagree."

I smiled slightly. "If it is within my capabilities, I have no reason to refuse."

"I want you to send me the question paper Class A has made. The question paper that you will be sending to Class B."

"The... question paper that Class A will be making?" I asked blankly. For the first time, I was slightly confused at his strange request. "Are you perhaps planning to use those questions as practice papers, Takeyama-kun?"

"Not at all. I want to use Class A's question paper as Class D's question paper as well."

I smiled amusingly at the young man in front of me. "Fufu. I see. You want to attack Class C with Class A's question paper?"

"Precisely. I feel it would be very amusing to watch Ryuuen's reaction when he realizes that the Question Paper he received is the same one that Class B received."

"I wonder, Takeyama-kun." I slowly bent forward. "We both know that you are very much capable of forming a question paper with a much better level of questions all alone. Why do you want Class A's paper for that?"

"Because I'm lazy, Sakayanagi-san," he said in a bored voice. "I'm a lazy bum. I don't wanna do so much work, so I decided to ask you."

"Fufu..."

I laughed heartily at his serious yet cute confession.

"I definitely did not expect that to be your answer, Takeyama-kun," I said. "But I accept your proposal. I will hand over Class A's question paper to you, and you can use it against Class C. The quote indeed is true."

"Which quote?"

"To do a difficult job, give it to a lazy person," I said slowly. "Because they know how to find the easy way out."

He smirked slowly. "I see. Apt for this situation."

"You do understand that I don't want to do this for free, right, Takeyama-kun?" I said seductively.

"...how about a well-deserved game of chess in return?"

"Needless to say, that is a very fair deal."

SS.7 - Hot Guys (Mori Nene)

I stared at the clock with hostility.

Five more minutes.

I turned my head around to look at the others.

Chiaki Matsushita was nervously biting her pencil, and was staring at the clock. Kei Karuizawa was nervously biting her pencil, and staring at the clock. Maya Sato was nervously biting her pencil, and staring at the clock. Shinohara Satsuki was nervously biting her pencil, and staring at the clock.

I was sure that this was the scene in definitely all the other classes.

Because today, 3rd October, was a very important date for all girls of the First Year.

The moment of truth.

I stared at the clock once again.

Four more minutes.

Ahhh, why is it ticking so slowly!?

Alright, looks like there isn't an option.

I need to start counting down the seconds.

There's no way I can handle the stress of waiting for so long.

240...

239...

238...

237...

236...

4...

3...

2...

1...

Yes!

The bell outside gave out the oh-so-satisfying ring, and almost everyone in class stood up immediately.

We left the classroom without uttering even a word to each other, and ran back to the dorms, as the boys watched us in confusion.

I ran with all my might, ignoring everyone along the way.

The event was too important to miss.

I ran up the stairs all the way up to the 9th floor, where my room was situated. I don't have the patience to wait for the elevator.

I slammed my dorm room door open, and closed it as soon as I walked in.

I threw my school bag on the bed, and immediately opened up my mobile phone, and navigated to the link that was posted on the All Girls Union.

Finally.

There it was, in front of me, on the screen —

The revised voting poll for the boys, which is held on the 3rd of every month.

Last month's topper was Hirata Yosuke.

But I have a feeling it was going to change this month.

My fingers trembled as I clicked on the dropdown list to vote from.

My trained eyes searched for just one name, and I scrolled feverishly through the list.

And at last, I found him.

Takeyama Keisuke.

The runner-up of last month's poll.

The real ikemen.

Without a second thought, I pressed on his name, and submitted my first vote for him. Each person is given 3 votes, so there are still 2 boys I can vote for.

But now, everyone looked the same.

I had already chosen the one person I wanted to choose.

And now there's no one left to choose.

My fingers stopped scrolling, and I stared at another unknown name on the list.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

I scrunched up my eyes, and tried to remember a little more about him. Where does he sit again?

Needless to say, Ayanokoji-kun was definitely a very handsome man, but his kinda gloomy and unapproachable nature makes him a little hard to understand and vote for.

However, a few of the girls in the grade found his 'mysterious aura' very alluring, and Ayanokoji-kun was placed at a commendable 5th position among all the boys.

Maybe I should vote for him...?

No. I need to weigh my options.

I continued to mindlessly scroll, and again, I stopped at a strange name.

Masayoshi Hashimoto.

He came in 3rd last month.

And he was a major contender this month as well.

And of course, there's Hirata-kun, and Kanzaki-kun, and then there's Yamauchi-kun, Ike-kun and Hondo-kun...

Lol just kidding.

They all have the potential to come first as well.

From the last.

I inwardly sighed. Why would you even put their names on this list? Like, it makes no sense. They're probably the ones to somehow manage to even end up with negative votes.

I glanced at the time.

3:50pm.

10 more minutes, and the voting would close. The results would be out just 15 minutes after the polls close. It doesn't take too long to count the votes, after all.

Awww.

I wish I could vote for Takeyama-kun 3 times.

But that's impossible.

I could just leave it at this though.

After all, it isn't necessary to use up all 3 of your votes.

I decided to waste my other votes, because it would otherwise mean more unnecessary competition for Takeyama-kun.

*

It's 4:00pm.

The time has finally come.

The moment all the females of the school have been waiting for.

The moment when we will know which man makes our hearts throb the most.

I absentmindedly stared at the All Girls Chat.

All Girls Union

Ryoko Nishikawa:
Ahhh! When are the results going to be announced!? .

Takeko Nishino:
This is taking too long! I can't wait this out!

Chiaki Matsushita:
Ten thousand Private Points on Takeyama-kun!

Kamuro Masumi:
...

Kei Karuizawa:
Ten thousand!? You sure, Chiaki-chan? (•_•)

Chiaki Matsushita:
One hundred percent! Who wants to oppose me!?

Saya Ando:
I oppose! It's definitely going to be Shibata-kun! He's gonna be the dark horse of today's battle!

Chiaki Matsushita:
Haw? You're making this personal, Ando-san?

Mako Amikura:
H-hey! Please don't fight! It's really sad to watch people fight!

Chiaki Matsushita:
...

Saya Ando:
...

You:
I'm sure it won't take much longer!

Shiho Manabe:
Nene-chan is right! Not much longer!

Yume Kobashi:
Fingers crossed for Kanzaki-kun! .

Ibuki Mio:
Who?

[ Anonymous :
https//watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ

Kei Karuizawa:
... is that supposed to be the link to the results?

Maya Sato:
Pretty sure that's not the link.

Kamuro Masumi:

...

Nanami Yabu:
Wait, do I click on that link?

Haruka Hasebe:
By all means. Please go ahead.

Nanami Yabu:
Alright! Thanks, Hasebe-san

[ Anonymous :
*the real link*

I widened my eyes.

It's here.

The results are here, after 10 agonizing minutes.

I gulped, and clicked on the link.

The redirected webpage loaded instantly, and the chart came up.

"!?"

The Top Ikemen Results:

1. Takeyama Keisuke [ 1 ]

2. Masayoshi Hashimoto [ 1 ]

3. Ayanokoji Kiyotaka [ 2 ]

4. Hirata Yosuke [ 3 ]

5. Sho Shibata [ 1 ]

6. Ryuji Kanzaki [ 1 ]

7. Koji Machida [ 4 ]

8. Kouenji Rokusuke [ 3 ]

. . . . . .

78. Kakeru Ryuuen [ 11 ]

79. Ike Kanji [ 1 ]

80. Haruki Yamauchi [ -- ]

Such... unsurprising results.

I smiled awkwardly at the first name on the list. He had finally broken free from the eternal pain of being a runner-up, and was now voted as the most desirable man in the entire grade.

Hirata-kun dropped 3 ranks from first place...

Hmph. I don't really care. Because Takeyama-kun came in first!

I happily closed my phone and pranced out of my room to celebrate my newfound success.

A/N's:

Here I am still continuing this fic for some reason even though I said I wouldn't smh.

Now that I've got the main point out, here's a question.

Which CoTE girl would you like a short story / one-shot of?

Remember, these are all going to be non-canon to the main storyline. Also, Chiaki isn't in the list, cuz she's the canon MC's love interest. There's no point making a one-shot about her lmao.

1. Ichinose Honami

2. Maya Sato

3. Kei Karuizawa

4. Kikyo Kushida (?)

5. Masumi Kamuro

6. Sakayanagi Arisu

7. Hiyori Shiina

8. Ibuki Mio

9. Kiryuin Fuka

10. Nazuna Asahina

11. Horikita Suzune

These are the ones I can currently think of. Go ahead and recommend even more unknown characters! It always is fun as a writer to add the spotlight onto lesser known background characters.

Note:Please don't expect lemons lol. They're all gonna be cute and fluffy and wholesome.

Thank you for reading, and cheers!

P.S. Who do you think [ Anonymous ] in the ' All Girls Union ' is? (wrong answers only)

_

Random One Shot 1 - Kiryuin Fuka

[ Because this one is popular request ]

"Left."

"You go left."

"Left, now!"

"You go left!"

"Wait, it's escaping! Make Pikachu use Thundershock! Paralyze it!"

"Wait, which button was it!? How do you attack!?"

"It's A, it's A!"

"Wait... where is A..."

"Goddamn it, it's gone!"

Kiryuin threw back her controller in frustration, and we watched the legendary Dragonite walk off like we didn't just waste 2 hours trying to catch that.

"You need to teach me the controls before you scream 'Press A!', dumbass," I said in an annoyed voice. She turned to me, giving me a rather annoyed pout.

I stared at the girl with thin slit-like eyes. It was currently summer vacation, and Kiryuin was in her cool summer casuals. An extremely light crop-top, which threatened to allow me to see the secrets inside, and an almost non-existent short. I wouldn't have known that she was wearing those shorts if, you know, I hadn't been searching for, stuff.

"It's alright," she muttered. "It's not like I was grinding for over 200 hours for this or that I was hoping we would catch it together and then we would scream and jump in joy and then you would pick me up and throw me on the bed and then tear off my--"

"I'm gonna go make some ice tea," I butted in before she could complete her sentence, because this is a holy Christian Minecraft server, and we don't say stuff like this here.

"Hmph."

Kiryuin let out a disgruntled sigh, and rolled over on the floor, accentuating her curves flawlessly.

It had been 3 months since she had nervously asked me out.

And I would have been an asshole to actually say no.

"Say, Kiryuin," I started. "Why did you want me to play Pokémon again?"

"Because it's fun!" she said almost immediately. "You need to know how fun it is to play games with other people!"

"'Other people'? So I'm just another person?"

"Way to go for ruining the mood," she said sulkily, and stood up awkwardly, and scurried over to where I was standing. "Whatcha makin'?"

"Ice tea."

"I want extra sugar in mine."

"I know."

"And extra milk as well."

"I know."

"And ending with a slight drizzle of chocolate powder garnished with freshly-sliced lemons, parsley and invigorated with the subtle enhances and taste of ginger and Cadbury."

"... do you want your ice tea or not?"

"Aww, why don't you at least make some expression!?" she said furiously after chanting out the entire Mandarin menu. "You can at least say, 'Sure darling, I'll be right back with your order', or something!"

"I'm not going to say that."

"... you're mean."

She walked off into the bedroom once again, leaving me alone in the kitchen.

I sighed.

She gets too hyper when the two of us are alone.

Not that I'm complaining.

But sometimes I'm not sure how to respond to such obvious teasing and not give into her... well, advances.

I filtered out the tea and added in the much needed ice cubes, and walked into the bedroom.

And waiting for me there was Kiryuin Fuka, strewn across her bed with nothing but a bra and panty.

I almost dropped the tray.

"What are you doing?"

She turned to look at me with an innocent smile. "What? It's hot, so I took off my clothes."

"I know that. But I'm here," I reminded her exasperatedly.

"So?"

"..."

For some reason, I had no rebuttal to that statement.

She snatched the glass of ice tea from my hand, and slurped down over half of it in a very not-so-feminine fashion. "Hmmm... I'll give this a 3 on 5."

I sighed. "I went through the pain of making this, and you give me a 3? What went wrong?"

"Well, for one, the waiter isn't very nice to me," she said. "He ignores me, and acts as though he doesn't care for me. That automatically takes out 2 stars. The drink is awesome though."

"You know what? Come here."

She raised her hands in surrender.

"Nothing you do is gonna bring me back to your side, Keisuke. You just lost your one and only Kiryuin Fuka--"

I crashed my lips onto hers.

She widened her eyes in surprise, and fumbled with her hands for a few seconds, trying to get a grip on the situation.

"Mmmphmphpmph...!"

She thrashed about for a while, but then calmed down.

She closed her eyes, and fell back onto the bed, pulling me along with her.

After a few gorgeous minutes, we finally broke apart.

"What's the waiter's rating now?"

"... 7 on 5."

_

A/N:

Sorry if this one did not meet your expectations :( I'm a bit new to this one-shot thing, so I'm not sure how I'm supposed to write them.

Anyways, thank you for reading, and cheers. Please leave a vote and comment on the chapter!

P.S. I ruined the 69 Chapters thing :(

_

Question - [1]

Ok, so before I head into the next arc, I wanna ask a few questions to you readers.

So, in the next few volumes that I'm gonna cover, there are certain Special Exams that I'm not too keen on writing. In simple words, I'm not sure how I wanna change it to be any different from the light novel.

For example, there's the Mixed Training Camp. I don't even know what this thing is about. Besides, there's no plot points for me to cover in this arc except for maybe character development.

So I've decided that I wanna skip this arc. There won't be any major deviations from the light novel for this arc, so just act as though it happened, ok?

There are other special exams as well, like the Class Poll and the Event Selection Exam (check the CoTE wiki in case you guys forgot), which I'm definitely not skipping. They're important, and I'm gonna incorporate some changes in those.

Here's the announcement.

I'm planning to make a very major change to the plot. Like, characters and stuff remains the same, but there'll be a pretty big deviation that probably no one is gonna expect. I can't exactly spell out what it is, or it'll ruin the whole thing , but you get the point.

Also, this new part of the story will be published under a new story, 'Another Like Me - Part II (CoTE x OC)'

I'll design a cover page for it soon enough. So basically, a continuation of the storyline with major awesome plot changes.

I'll start the new story from Year 2, after the new first years arrive.

TL;DR, I'm planning to skip the Mixed Training Camp, whizz through the Class Poll and Event Selection Exam and then start off a major new plot point in a continuation series.

Thank you for reading, and please leave your thoughts and suggestions!

_

Announcement - [3]

Hello everyone!

So I'm done with designing the cover page for the new part of the story. I'm kinda proud of it.

_

The new first years have finally arrived in ANHS, and Keisuke Takeyama's life becomes all the more complicated. At the same time, Chairman Sakayanagi makes a major announcement, which is bound to change everything that Keisuke has ever worked for in this school.

Can the White Room's 'Experiment' overcome the White Room's 'Masterpiece'?

I do not own Classroom of The Elite. Please support the original work, written by Shougo Kinugasa, and illustrated by Tomose Shunsaku. The OC belongs to me.

_

Take care, cheers!

Random One Shot 2 - Ichinose Honami

It was a peaceful night. A cold one, for that. It was November, the wonderful season of fall. But for some reason, it was rather cold. Abnormally cold for fall.

Too bad our rooms did not have heaters.

I slowly shuffled a bit in my bed, and pulled the covers over myself, covering myself and shielding myself from the horrors of the outside world.

Swipe!

I felt a hard tug, and I almost fell off the bed.

What...?

My sleepyhead couldn't comprehend what was going on. Where's my blanket...?

I groped around for the exquisite sheet on my bed, and I involuntarily shivered as I was exposed to the cold room temperature. I want my blanket.

I felt my hand touch something soft and luxurious.

Ah, found it.

I snuggled the blanket closer to me and hugged myself to drift off into sweet slumber.

"Ungh..."

Yoink!

"Jesus...!?"

My blanket mysteriously left my body again, and moved on its own towards the right.

I opened my eyes slightly, and stared at my blanket.

Which was now comfortably cuddled around Ichinose Honami, who had pulled the blanket in her sleep from me.

That's why the blanket kept moving...

Ok. I need it back.

I slowly, surreptitiously, lifted her right hand, which was currently anchoring the sheet to her cleavage. I got a dangerous look into the depths, but the dark room prevented me from making out much obscenity.

"Almost... there..."

I slowly moved the blanket off her, and pulled it ever-so slightly in my direction.

"Mmmmm..."

She muttered adorably in her sleep, and lashed out with her voluptuous legs.

Her leg made contact with my stomach.

Oof!

I stifled a painful sob, and stared daggers at the lady.

How can she kick me with no remorse?

"Kei-chan... where..."

She muttered in her slumber, groping around with her hands in search of the eternal blanket.

I slowly pulled the entire blanket away from her, exposing her frail body to the terrors of the winter cold.

"Brrr..."

She made an annoyed face. In her sleep.

Yes, Honami. Feel the pain.

"!?"

She suddenly jumped up in her sleep, and latched her perfect arms around my waist, while slowly snuggling into my belly.

What...?

But...

I want...

My blanket...

"Kei-chan... I... love you..." she said cutely while continuing to go in and out of light sleep.

My heart rose up to my throat, and I stared at the ethereal figure currently hugging onto me for dear life.

"Where... blanket..."

I watched as she continued to move her hands around aimlessly behind me, trying to search for the blanket. She made a sweet pout when she didn't find it.

And then she snuggled under my t-shirt.

"Wait, Honami...!?"

It was too late.

Her soft head was resting against my abdomen, under my t-shirt.

"This... is warm..."

Then she stopped talking, and her light breathing felt cold and ticklish on my bare body.

So this is what a woman's touch feels like...

"Honami...?"

*snore*

"Honami."

*SNORE*

Welp. Looks like she's not waking up anytime soon.

Am I supposed to spend the night with no blanket...?

No. That's impossible.

It is impossible to spend the night without a blanket.

I'm the type to always use a blanket, whether it's 100 degrees or 0 degrees outside.

And the blanket was now currently at my feet.

But if I bend down, then will she wake up...?

I stared at the pretty girl snuggling in closer. "Mhmhmhm... Kei-chan... more..."

Jesus Christ, what is she dreaming of...

*PLOP*

"?"

Honami slowly opened her eyes, and rubbed them both cutely with her small hands. "Where... am I..."

"In my bed...?"

"Oh, Kei-chan. Good morning~~"

"It's 4 in the morning, stupid. Go back to sleep."

"But I had a weird dream," she said in a cute voice.

"Ok."

"Do you want to hear about it?" she asked me excitedly.

"Later. Go back to sleep."

"I don't understand..." she said softly, and slumped back on my chest. "It was so cold... the blanket was suddenly gone..."

Now I feel guilty...

"Wanna share?" I proposed.

Ecchinose turned red in embarrassment. "S-s-share? Are you sure that's ok...?"

"We're sleeping on the same bed, for god's sake."

"Right," she said slowly, after contemplating the situation. "We'll share it."

And with that, the blanket war came to an end, with both parties agreeing on immediate ceasefire.

We snuggled up comfortable next to each other.

"Hey, Kei-chan?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you love me?"

"... of course I do."

"Okie~~"

We drifted off together into sweet sleep.

_

Chapter 55 - Tail

( Ayanokoji POV )

Winter was just around the corner. Most of the shops in and around Keyaki Mall had already began decorating for the festive season.

From what I'd heard from Keisuke, winter is quite the exquisite festival in Japan. There's apparently a lot of decorations, sales, food and stuff to look out for. He said that it was his second favorite season, after fall.

Even though I don't get the hype.

"Oi, Kiyopon. You zoning out again?"

A voice called out to me, and I turned to look at Haruka Hasebe, who was staring at me with questioning eyes. "Knock knock, you there?"

"Leave the poor man alone, Haruka," Akito said, as he absentmindedly stirred his coffee. "You know Kiyotaka's the type to stay in his own world."

"Well, it's kinda boring if he does it when we're around as well!" Haruka insisted. "Don't you agree, Airi, Keisei?"

"Y-yes," Airi Sakura said. She had grown to become a much more confident and mature woman around Haruka. Maybe it indeed was necessary for her to get some friends so she could open up on her bottled up feelings and let it all out.

"I'm not sure I concur," Yukimura sighed, as he closed his book. "It indeed is rather strange to zone out in the middle of a conversation, but if we're gonna stay quiet throughout, then I don't think it's much of an issue. Besides, it's not Kiyotaka's fault if he spaces out a bit while we're being boring."

"Aww, I didn't want a logical explanation!" Haruka said, and she flailed her arms about like a child begging for a toy. "I just don't want Kiyopon to feel lonely!"

"I'm not feeling lonely, Haruka," I said to dispel the confusion. "I was just spacing out, like Keisei said. Don't worry about it. It's not lonely to be around you guys at all."

"Woah, Kiyotaka actually complimented us," Akito said astonished. "Even though that didn't sound like a compliment, I'm gonna assume that it was..."

"Hey, I'm gonna go get a refill on coffee," Haruka said, as she stood up. "Do you guys need anything?"

"You don't have to pay for us," I added in. "I'll come, too."

"Don't fret it, Kiyopon!" Haruka said proudly. "I'm doing this because I need to flaunt off my new balance and status!"

Akito stifled a chuckled, and even Airi and Keisei cracked a smile.

The mood in Class 1-D had improved significantly ever since our thorough crushing of Ryuuen's Class.

Or maybe I should say, Class 1-C.

We were the first class in our year to get promoted.

Chabashira-sensei had walked in yesterday in class, and announced it to everyone. The Class Standing currently stood at —

Class 1-A... Led by Sakayanagi... 974 CP

Class 1-B... Led by Ichinose... 653 CP

Class 1-C... Led by Takeyama... 533 CP

Class 1-D... Led by Ryuuen... 342 CP

It was indeed a huge gain for our class. Not only had we crossed the 500 Point barrier, Class A winning the Paper Shuffle against Class B meant that we had closed our gap with Class B by 200 Points in just one swoop. Though our overall gap with Class A did not see a net change, we're still much closer to the summit than we were a measly 4 months back.

"All the credit goes to Takeyama," Keisei said. "He's the one who's been pulling our class along. Horikita-san deserves some praise as well. Besides, I've heard rumors that Ryuuen and Takeyama had some sort of altercation again, and Takeyama-kun came out on top."

"Woah, I'm like, totally falling for Takeyama-kun," Haruka said while laughing. "He's got the looks, the brains and the strength. Not gonna lie, he's the perfect choice for leader."

I had to agree with Haruka on that point.

Keisuke's main skill was not that he was smart.

It was his charisma that pulled the class along.

Ever since Keisuke had taken over control of class proceedings, there hasn't been a single uprising in class against any decision that he has taken. In other words, he has complete command over class affairs. There is not an ounce of disrespect directed against him, unlike the case in Ryuuen's class. Even the outcasts like Kouenji did not mind Keisuke's intervention.

Granted, Keisuke tries his best not to involve Kouenji, but given that Kouenji himself does not have any resentment against Keisuke, and that he goes along with his orders, it is well proven.

"I really wonder how he does it," Akito murmured. "There's so many things happening behind the scenes, it's kinda weird that he tries not to rake the class into them..."

"I think Takeyama-kun does it for us," Airi said shyly. "He tries not to put his classmates in any trouble."

"But maybe it would do him good to know that we're on his side," Akito said decisively. "He doesn't have to shoulder the burden of doing everything alone. He can count on his classmates for that."

"He doesn't really talk to that many people, though," Haruka said sadly. "Even though everyone in class admires him, he's not the type to actively go out and make friends. The only people he talks to are Chiaki-chan, Horikita-san and Hirata-kun."

"Doesn't he spend quite a bit of time with Kiyotaka as well?" Keisei suddenly asked, and his vision darted at my direction. "You agree, don't you, Kiyotaka?"

It seems Keisei had noticed my rather close relationship with Takeyama. Well, it didn't come as much of a surprise to me either. Ever since we had discovered that we were from the same background, all hostility and enmity between us vanished.

"We're a bit close," I said slowly. "I think it's easy to talk to him."

"Easy to talk to him..." Keisei murmured. "Say, Kiyotaka. Do you, by chance, know Takeyama-kun from before?"

Keisei eyed me suspiciously.

"I do," I admitted. "We were in the same middle school, even though we didn't really talk much back then. Both of us were a bit of a loner."

"Haw? Kiyopon went to the same middle school as Takeyama-kun?" Haruka wondered. "That's news to me."

"Well, it won't be normal for any of us to know about it anyways," Akito came to my defense. "Hey, Haruka. You said you were gonna buy us some coffee, right?"

"Oh, right! I completely forgot!" Haruka immediately grabbed our empty cups and rushed to the counter. I internally thanked Akito for the save.

"Say, Keisei. What's the plan now?" Akito asked a rather serious question. "We all know how some blokes from Class D are tailing us, right?"

It indeed was true. Akito had breached a major topic. In the past few days, ever since the announcement of the results of the Paper Shuffle, several students from Class D had been tailing students from Class C. Akito had mentioned that Komiya and Kondo were the ones who always watched him whenever he was in the archery club.

"I think it's because they're now wary of us," Keisei said. "They're trying to pressurize us by constantly monitoring our movements. Typical Ryuuen strategy. Now that we've been promoted to Class C, things are gonna get pretty dicey."

"But it doesn't help in any way, does it?" Akito asked. "I mean, everyone in our class is already aware that we're not gonna fall for Ryuuen's dirty tricks anymore. Besides, he's already lost to Takeyama. What is he trying to achieve by tailing us?"

"I'm not entirely sure," Keisei said thoughtfully. "But I don't think we should let it bother us. Ignorance is bliss, as they say. As long as they don't resort to anything violent, it shouldn't really be much of a problem."

"But it's kind of irritating, don't you agree? Being continuously watched by students from Class D, that is."

"Of course it is. But we cannot do anything but ignore it. Once Ryuuen realizes that he's not getting any fruitful results from the tailing, he'll let it be."

I silently listened to their conversation.

I already knew what Ryuuen was actually planning to do, and soon enough, everyone in the class will see it as well. That Ryuuen is actually trying to dig out the second mastermind from the depths.

Currently, it must have been obvious to Ryuuen that Keisuke and the 'second mastermind', i.e., me, are not working together. We had formulated our plans meticulously and flawlessly, making sure that to an outsider, it looks like we aren't working together, but instead, are actively trying to drown out each other.

For example, take the recent Paper Shuffle. Keisuke had purposely missed out on the meeting in the karaoke room, where I had instructed Karuizawa to spill her drink on Kushida-san's uniform. This way, when Kushida breaches this information to Ryuuen himself, he would think that Keisuke isn't involved in this scenario, and would be inclined to use Karuizawa as a means to approach the 'second mastermind' itself.

Sacrificing Karuizawa, to lead Ryuuen into a trap.

As inhumane as it sounded on the surface, I had to go through with this, if I needed Karuizawa's complete trust. At first, Keisuke was rather reluctant with going ahead with this plan, but he agreed nevertheless.

"I hope he leaves us alone soon," Akito said, and he placed his hands on his face. "I don't wanna see Komiya's face poking out of the archery club door anymore when I'm practicing."

Just then, a jingle of bells in The Brewster signaled the arrival of new customers.

A tall, lean man with messy blond hair, and a perpetual, shady grin on his face walked in, gathering the attention of all students seated inside.

"It's President Nagumo..." Akito trailed off, as he watched the second-year student enter. "Wait, is that...!?"

Behind the President, another person with sleek, black hair and a calm look on his face, walked in behind Nagumo. His face was twisted into a frown. He probably didn't want to be there.

"What's Takeyama-kun doing with the President...?"

"Takeyama-kun is a part of the Student Council, remember?" Keisei reminded us. "And not just a regular member. He's the Secretary of the Council. It's not surprising that he's on good terms with the President."

Keisuke glanced for a second at our table, and our eyes met for a split second. He subtly jerked his head a bit towards the door, effortlessly communicating that there is someone outside waiting for me.

I narrowed my eyes, and glanced outside surreptitiously. Was he talking about her...?

The President waltzed into an empty table, and motioned for Keisuke to take a seat. They were rather far off from our table, so I could not make out their conversation.

I don't think that's a biggie. I'm sure Keisuke will tell me about it later if it's something important concerning the 2 of us.

Haruka returned to the table with our drinks, and I excused myself from the table, citing the need to use the restroom.

I quickly exited the café, and walked over to a wooden bench placed comfortably on the sidewalk. It was currently occupied by a lone girl with long, purple hair, and she was scrolling through her phone mindlessly.

"Mind if I sit here?" I asked the girl, and she wordlessly shifted a bit to the left, offering me space to sit down. She didn't look at me even once.

"Why're you following me?" I asked her.

At once, she furrowed her eyebrows, and looked at me questioningly. "Following you? I don't even know who you are."

"Today, at The Brewster. 3 days ago, at Keyaki Mall. 4 days ago, at Keyaki Mall. Seven days ago, after class. It's quite the coincidence, don't you think?" I took out my phone, and showed her several pictures I'd taken of her when she was spying on me.

"That... but when...?"

"You were trying to follow me discreetly, right? So you couldn't afford to look in my direction. So maybe you didn't notice me take these pictures then."

She sighed slowly, and spoke. "It seems there's no point denying it anymore."

So this is indeed what Keisuke was signaling me a few moments back. He had also noticed this girl stalking me for a few days.

"Why are you following me?" I pressed on the question. "I don't remember having any sort of relationship with you."

"I'm doing this out of obligation," she said. "It's not my wish to follow you."

"You mean you're acting on someone's orders? Sakayanagi, perhaps?"

She involuntarily stiffened as I uttered her name. "Don't talk to about her. She's a real pain in the ass."

"It does seem like you're not on good terms with her," I sighed. "So she bosses you around because she has some dirt on you, huh?"

The girl looked at me with a irritated expression. "You don't have the right to speak of that."

"Oh? Then maybe I should go and report to Sakayanagi that you're not tailing me quite well," I said nonchalantly, and I started to get up.

"Wait!" she said, and she grabbed hold of my arm. "Don't give me that. I'm nobody's lackey."

"That doesn't seem very convincing. Here you are, following and spying on me on the orders of someone who's not your boss? I can only imagine what Sakayanagi perhaps has in her possession to control you this easily."

"Grr... you're annoying," she said. "Yes. I'm tailing you on Sakayanagi's orders."

"You're just going to rat out on Sakayanagi?" I asked, perplexed. "You're strange. Isn't it against Sakayanagi's wish to do so?"

"Why does it even matter to you?" she scoffed. "Besides, it's you, isn't it? The one who Ryuuen is searching for? He's made it quite clear that Keisuke Takeyama is not working alone."

So the information had made it to the other classes already. I decided to play it like I knew.

"And what if I am?"

She stared at me for a solid minute, before sighing. "I honestly don't care. It's Sakayanagi who does. I'm just doing her part since she can't move around much. I'll take my leave. You'll keep this conversation out of Sakayanagi's notice, won't you?"

"Of course. It doesn't benefit me to tell her anything about you anyways. Besides, you've got the wrong person," I replied.

"Still downplaying it, huh..." she muttered. "Well, that is all. I'm taking my leave now."

Saying so, the girl, whose name was Masumi Kamuro, flipped the other direction, her long, purple hair grazing my face ever so slightly, and walked away.

_

Chapter 56 - Cold Reading

I slowly jerked my head a bit to the right, almost unnoticeable. But someone like Kiyotaka would definitely notice.

I watched as he took the hint, and excused himself from his group. He walked out of The Brewster.

"What are you spacing out for, kouhai?" a voice rang out in my ear, and I turned to look at the Student Council President Nagumo, leisurely sprawled out on a chair. "Come, take a seat!"

"Yeah, sorry," I said, and I took a seat next to the senior. "So, we're just here for, fun?"

"Yes! Exactly," he said as he snapped his fingers. "We're here for fun!"

"Isn't the mall a more fun place to be in?" I asked cautiously.

"Now, now, kouhai, Keyaki Mall is too generic a spot for leisurely break," Nagumo chided me. "Besides, this café is known for its outstanding service and food, but it gets overshadowed because of its close proximity to The Pallet."

I didn't have the heart to tell him that I've been here along with Yosuke and Chiaki more than 10 times already.

I didn't want to burst his bubble, so I stayed quiet.

"So, is there something you want to talk to me about?"

Nagumo raised his eyebrows. "Talk to you about? Nothing at all! Can I not talk to you if there isn't an agenda?"

"That's not what I meant," I added quickly. "It's just that it's strange for you to call me without a reason, so I assumed that you might have had something important you wanted to discuss, President."

"Well, your words wound me," Nagumo replied. "I assure you that there is nothing that I wanted to extract from you. I'm here just because the two of us haven't caught up in a while! Even though we're a part of the Student Council, the year gap makes it quite difficult to make up on lost time and communication."

"I see. Have you called any other Council Members, President?" I asked. "Because it looks like we're attracting quite a bit of attention."

I directed my gaze to the curious stares of all students from the 1st years to 3rd years. It seemed that it indeed was interesting to watch the Student Council President talk with an underclassman.

"Don't worry about that," Nagumo waved me off. "We're both celebrities, you know that right? You might be oblivious to your social standing, though."

"I'm not oblivious to it, senpai. I just don't find it that important," I replied casually. "Besides, it isn't my goal to regain social standing anyways. I just want a happy high school life with lots of friends."

"But this school sure makes it quite hard, doesn't it?" Nagumo grinned. "I've heard that Class D, or maybe I should address you as Class C now, has made it all the way till here without having a single expellee this time. It's phenomenal."

"Why do you think so?"

"Because that hasn't ever happened in the past! I've heard from our homeroom teachers, Class D students, and upperclassmen. That Class D usually loses out at least a student or two before the end of the Second Semester!" he said animatedly. "But we're already halfway through the second semester, and there hasn't been a single expellee from Class C. Scratch that, not a single expellee in the First Year Student Body! It's quite insane."

"We haven't had any significantly hard Special Exam yet, after all," I said. "It would instead be concerning if we did have expellees."

"You're talking via experience, and I'm talking via history, kouhai," Nagumo replied. "In the past, it was quite common for at least 4-5 students dropping out from Class D within the First Year itself. It's already well into the Second Semester, and no expellees is therefore extraordinary."

"... are you perhaps implying that you want there to be expellees from my Class, senpai?"

"By all means, no!" he said quickly. "I'm merely stating the facts. Whether you accept them or not, it's up to you, isn't it?"

"I suppose it is," I sighed. "Have there been any expellees in your year, senpai? I'm a bit curious."

"My year? Oh, you can say my year is quite special indeed," Nagumo replied. "And by special, I mean that our school year has by far had the most expellees in a single year ever recorded."

I scrunched up my eyebrows. "And why is that?"

"You see, I love individual meritocracy, Takeyama," Nagumo said as though unveiling a new brand product. "Watching several highly-capable students being dragged down and undermined due to a larger sector of defectives? It irked me. I wanted to free them of their misery."

"... that doesn't answer my question."

"It will in due time, Council Secretary. What I meant is that there are several capable individuals who would do anything to rise up to a higher class, sacrificing and leaving everything in their previous class behind," Nagumo replied. "I assume you know about this?"

"... I do know. Kiriyama-senpai had given me a brief on the working of the second year student body. It's very interesting and demoralizing at the same time."

"I had a feeling you would say something like that," Nagumo sighed. "Both you and Horikita-senpai. You don't see the merits that this system of individual competition and rewards holds, do you?"

"I do, senpai. I really do. But it undermines the entire notion that this school is built on, doesn't it? In the end, I don't really care. Whether the President changes the foundation completely, like you are beginning to do, or respect the traditions and protect Horikita-senpai's ideals. It doesn't matter to me, because I like a challenge."

"... like always, your words surprise me, kouhai," Nagumo said, as he stared at me with furrowed eyebrows. "So can I assume that you will remain a neutral spectator in my endeavor to reform this school?"

"Correct. I'll basically be Switzerland."

"Oh? If it isn't Keisuke-kun!" I heard a happy and bouncy voice. I turned around to get a look at the visitor's face.

Chocolate-brown hair, and generous proportions. A flower clip adorning her hair, and a mini-skirt so short it threatened to spill over its secrets any second now.

"Oi, Miyabi! You didn't tell me you were gonna bring Keisuke along with you!" Asahina-senpai squealed happily, and she grabbed a chair and seated herself as close to me as possible. "How're you doin', Keisuke-kun?"

"... I'm fine, senpai," I replied. "I think you're a bit too close..."

"No, I'm not," she replied seductively. "Or maybe you want me to sit somewhere else, kouhai..."

"Ahem," Nagumo cleared his throat, catching Nazuna-senpai's attention. "Nazuna. You know Takeyama?"

"Of course I do!" she replied. "He's the Student Council Secretary, right?"

"That's not what I meant," he sighed. "Everyone knows he is the Secretary. But when did you personally get to know him?"

"Haw? So I can't meet new people without your permission, Miyabi! Meanie!!"

"I did not say that..."

"Huh? Or maybe you're jealous, Miyabi?" she smirked slowly, and she pulled my arm closer to her, sandwiching it between her assets.

Jesus Christ.

"It sure looks like you're having fun, Takeyama," Nagumo shot me a cheesy grin. I ignored the man.

"Asahina-senpai, what are you doing here?"

"Hmm? I just happened to sight Miyabi inside, because he sticks out like a sore thumb," Asahina-senpai said. "And when I saw him talking to you, I decided to come bounce over!"

"So it's just a coincidence?"

"Just a coincidence, kouhai-chan~~"

She finally let go of my arm, and took a seat between me and Nagumo. "So, what were you guys talking about?"

"Council stuff, Nazuna," Nagumo said in a bored voice. "Besides, it's been a while since I've caught up with the First Year affairs. It seems like things are getting quite interesting in the first year, kouhai."

"Why do you say so, senpai?"

"Because of a rather strange rumor which says that the present-Class C beat the present-Class D by an abominable margin of 243 marks in the recent Paper Shuffle. You're asking me to not be the least piqued by that?"

"... we just studied a lot, senpai."

"But studying a lot cannot bring in such lopsided results," Nagumo grinned. "There is definitely something that went on behind the scenes, kouhai — something that you're not willing to share with me."

"Well, you've got one thing right then," I replied nonchalantly. "I'm not going to share what happened behind the scenes. But I'll confirm that there was quite a bit going on."

"Hmm."

Nagumo merely hummed, while Asahina-senpai stayed quiet, absorbing the information that she had just heard.

"243 marks..." Asahina-senpai widened her eyes when she repeated the number. "That's insane..."

"I also heard that Class A beat Class B," Nagumo continued, absentmindedly stirring his coffee, and adding an unhealthy amount of sugar. "By just 2 marks."

"I know," I replied. "Class A and B are very similar when it comes to academics. Besides, they had a fair fight. Nothing crazy happened there."

"So it seems," Nagumo said. "But it's interesting, isn't it? You're still a first year, but you've broken so many records in this school already. You recorded one of the fastest times in the 100m dash last month. You're the Leader of the class to ever make a promotion this early. Your class has also recorded the highest ever margin victory against Class C in the Paper Shuffle. Your potential is completely wasted in a lower class."

"We've talked about this already, haven't we?" I replied. "I have no ill-feelings towards my class. I was sorted into Class D because I probably have a defect that I myself cannot see. Besides, it's more fun to reach Class A from the bottom than to be sorted into it right from the beginning."

"So you think you do have a defect, kouhai?" Nagumo asked me with an evil grin.

"Definitely. Everyone in this world has some defect or the other," I replied calmly. "It's up to you whether you can see it or not."

"Wow, such high-specs conversation..." Asahina-senpai said clutching her head in her hands. "I think my brain's gonna explode..."

"Now now, Nazuna. Maybe you should order something colder, like ice tea."

"Huh? Miyabi, you crazy or something? It's mid November!" Asahina-senpai fumed. "It's so cold! I'll die of frostbite!"

"Here."

I pushed my untouched cup of coffee towards her. "You can have it. I don't feel like drinking it."

Asahina-senpai stared at me like I was a museum specimen.

"Keisuke-kun. Are you hitting on me?"

"What makes you say so?"

"Because well, you obviously passed your cup of coffee to me. So like, you wanted an indirect kiss, or something?" she smirked.

"I haven't touched my cup yet. I don't feel like drinking it, because Nagumo-senpai murdered it by making it too sweet."

Asahina-senpai pouted cutely.

"Aww. Miyabi has a habit of doing that. There there."

She brought her hand up to my head, and patted me gently.

Pat.

Pat.

Pat.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
It feels nice...

"Feels good, kouhai~~?" Asahina-senpai grinned menacingly at my direction. "Should I stop?"

"Yes. People are staring."

"Aww. Bummer."

She removed her hand from my head unwillingly, while Nagumo curiously watched our short exchange.

"Are the two of you...?" he tried to ask.

"Nope! We're not!" Asahina-senpai answered quickly, before I could. "It's just platonic senpai-kouhai relationship!"

"I see..."

Nagumo stared at the 2 of us suspiciously, before sighing.

"Well, now that that's out of the way, wanna go for a little walk, Takeyama? Maybe you can tell me more about how you pulled off whatever you pulled during the Paper Shuffle."

"And why should I tell you that?" I replied without hesitation. "It's class strategy, senpai. I don't want to share it with anyone who isn't concerned."

"Oh, how I've been rejected," Nagumo sighed. "There's nothing I can do about that, can I? You aren't willing to give your own President details."

"Well then, 'President'. Why don't you tell me what happened behind the scenes in your recent Special Exam?" I smirked. "Surely there's no problem?"

Nagumo grimaced.

"Nothing special happened behind the scenes in the second year. It's just plain, all-out war."

"Then I hope you understand that any leakage in strategies is not preferable to any of us, whether you belong to the first year or the second year," I replied decisively. "We're here to have fun, like you said right? So why don't we head over to the bowling arena or something in Keyaki Mall? Something to divert our attentions off?"

"I wanna go too! I wanna go too!" Asahina-senpai squealed delightedly. "I wanna go bowling too!"

"...tch. Let's go then, kouhai."

Nagumo reluctantly agreed with my offer, mulling over the fact that he couldn't get any information out of me.

The 3 of us headed out together towards Keyaki Mall for a light-hearted game of bowling.

_

Chapter 57 - Family

( Ayanokoji POV )

"Ayanokoji-kun, would you like to hang out with me tomorrow?"

I was approached by Sato-san after school that day, and she asked me to hang out with her. I could feel the penetrating stares of the Ayanokoji Group boring into me, and Haruka especially seemed very interested in why someone as popular as Sato-san had approached me.

"Tomorrow...?"

I thought back to my schedule. Tomorrow is the day I had planned to hang out with Keisei, Akito and the others. I didn't want to cancel it over an invitation that came to me later.

But I didn't want to deny Sato-san either. It was very evident that she was asking me out on a date. I didn't want to make Sato-san sad. But I didn't want to abandon the Ayanokoji Group either.

"Eh... is it not... a good time?" Sato asked me nervously, when she noticed my silence.

"I'm sorry, Sato-san. I've got plans for tomorrow already. I hope we can go together sometime else." In the end, I rejected Sato-san's offer. My vision flickered to the homeroom teacher of our Class, Chabashira-sensei, who was currently doing some paperwork in class. However, she kept shooting me glances every now and then, so I realized that there was something she needed to talk to me about.

"That's ok! We can go sometime later then!" Sato-san regained her cheerful personality. "Later, Ayanokoji-kun!" And she bounded off outside the class.

I sped out of the classroom as well, so that I didn't end up being stopped by the Ayanokoji Group today. From what I'm seeing, it looks like Chabashira-sensei was dying to talk to me. Some important matter?

I exited into the hallway, but instead of taking the usual left, I took a right, and stopped near the lesser-frequented staircase with my back against the wall.

In a few minutes, Chabashira-sensei arrived in front of me.

"Do you want something?"

"Yes. It's urgent," Chabashira-sensei replied crisply.

"I've got plans today," I said. "I need to meet up with Horikita-san and Takeyama-kun."

"As a teacher, I don't want to be careless. But circumstances being what they are, this is necessary," she replied. Chabashira-sensei who usually sported an inhumane composure, had a strangely vulnerable expression.

"I have a bad feeling about this."

"Unfortunately, you can't refuse."

"Where are we going?"

"You'll understand soon."

I studied the teacher's expression. This was the first time I had seen her so obviously flustered and vulnerable. It made me realize the gravity of whatever was about to occur.

She knocked on the door of the room she had led me to. "Principal, I have brought Ayanokoji Kiyotaka-kun."

A calm and steady voice responded. "Enter."

Heeding to his advice, Chabashira-sensei swung the door open, and I laid my eyes upon the Principal of the school. I wasn't sure of his name.

And another man, sitting down on the sofa in the office, as he eyed me with hostility.

"Welcome, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka-kun," the Principal greeted me respectfully. "I think I'll take my leave now, and leave the two of you alone. Excuse me."

I nodded at the Principal's direction, and he left the room, along with Chabashira-sensei.

They closed the door behind them.

I stared silently at the man in front of me.

"How about you take a seat? I came all the way to meet you, after all." His voice remained the same.

Even after all these years, my father's voice remained the same — cold, ruthless, and incredibly noisy.

"I'm not planning to have a long conversation. I promised some friends that I'd meet them."

He scoffed. "Friends? In all the years that I've known you, Kiyotaka, you're not capable of making friends. So why don't you sit down and--"

"Keisuke Takeyama."

My father immediately stopped speaking as I uttered his name, and he glared at me menacingly. He closed his eyes, and let out a disheartened sigh.

"I see. So the two of you have met."

"I don't see why that comes as surprising to you," I replied. "We're in the same class, after all."

However, I could see why this man was surprised that Keisuke and I knew about each other.

The White Room is a secret facility intended to be kept hidden from the general public. In other words, even if the two of us had suspected each other, we wouldn't have been able to confirm it due to the fact that we cannot let slip the name 'White Room'.

However, that all changed with the addition of Sakayanagi Arisu into the fray, who was the connection that brought the two of us together. Without her, we wouldn't have exposed our pasts out to each other.

"Surprising indeed," the man said, without a trace of surprise in his tone. "But unfortunately, I do not care as to what that boy does. I only care that you leave this school at once, Kiyotaka. I have all the paperwork ready. Your only job is to give consent."

"I don't plan on dropping out."

"For you, that might be true. But I have my own reasons," he replied.

"Your own reasons? Since when have you been someone to impose your logic on me? Do you think it is right for a parent to ruin their child's life this way?"

"I'm glad you asked. Besides, you don't view me as a parent now, do you, Kiyotaka?" he countered.

"I don't. But legally on paper, you are my guardian. So let me rephrase — is it right for a guardian to ruin their child's life?"

"That is up to the guardian, is it not?" he sneered. "Besides, you're acting selfishly of your own accord. Your orders were to remain on standby. You defied me and enrolled in this school. Hence, you must return."

"I obey your orders only inside the White Room. Now that we're not, there's no reason for me to obey you, is there?"

"Playing hard to get, are we?" he replied. "Remember well, Kiyotaka. You get this choice only once. I'm not going to ask again. I'm asking you to drop out immediately. I'll be forced to take rather elaborate actions if you don't."

"Your threats do not waver me in the least."

"You haven't changed a bit, Kiyotaka," he replied, as though marveling at my stubbornness.

I decided to change the flow of the conversation.

"You said that you only care about me returning to the White Room," I asked. "What about Keisuke? Do you not want him back as well?"

"Keisuke Takeyama, you mean? He is different, Kiyotaka," my father replied. "He is, after all, the Experiment. He was made to be put in adverse situations, and still emerge on top. However, you are the Masterpiece. Your return to the White Room is essential. Keisuke's return is only a trivial bonus."

"You're telling me Keisuke enrolled in this school on your orders?"

"No. He enrolled against my wishes. His butler, Daisuke Amasawa helped him. Just like your butler, Matsuo did. However, where Keisuke goes, does not matter to me. That boy was meant to experience the outside world soon anyways. He is the test subject. If the experiment goes well on him, then it is tried out on the rest of the White Room students. His work in the White Room is over. He is no longer useful."

I silently listened to the man.

So Keisuke has been leased off the White Room?

"You're wondering why I don't want him back, are you not?" he snorted. "It's because he is, unknowingly, playing a part in an experiment."

"I don't understand."

"You pretend to not understand, Kiyotaka. His usefulness in the White Room is finished. If he returns back, it's icing on the cake. Keisuke was supposed to experience the outside world anyways. After all, he is the first student from the White Room to receive training on social skills, conversation ethics, and such."

"So you're telling me you've been using him as a guinea pig, that's all? His only purpose was to test the validity and effectiveness of techniques that would have been used in the coming generations of the White Room?" I asked.

"Indeed. And his success as come as a pleasant surprise," he replied. "The future generations will greatly benefit from his contributions. Keisuke Takeyama is just a catalyst for the development of the Masterpiece. He's the shadow which accompanies the light."

"... you don't seem very pleased with him, even though he's the reason all the students in the White Room receive such meticulous training."

My father sighed. "I don't have any vendetta against the boy. I would be more than happy to welcome him back to the White Room, the place he calls home. But he is being tested — tested against the real world, whether the conversational and social skills that were taught specially to him in the White Room is paying off."

"I would say that it is," I replied truthfully. "After all, he has established himself as the unmatched leader of the grade with his superior skills."

For a second, just for a second, I saw the man let out a slight smile. But it was quickly replaced by his serious expression.

"I did not expect anything less."

"Do you not want to meet him?" I asked nonchalantly. "You come all the way here and leave without meeting him?"

"For all I know, we have never met face to face," the man replied. "Keisuke never met me in the White Room. I only watched and supervised his training. There would be nothing to talk about even if he were to arrive here."

"But he knows about you now. Because I told him," I countered.

"That does not change anything. It remains that there is nothing to talk about."

"I believe that Keisuke however, will have quite a few questions for you," I replied. "Surely you're not avoiding him because you don't want to be showered with unwanted and personal questions?"

"If you think that I am afraid of facing Keisuke, you are in the wrong. I have already said it twice, and I'll say it a third time — there is nothing to talk about between us."

I stared for a good minute at the man, and I finally let out a sigh.

"Beats me. But you can try all you want. I'm not leaving this school."

"Think wisely, Kiyotaka. You don't have a choice. Do you want to leave the school of your own volition, or do you want me to force you to leave this school?"

So this man was really dead set on getting me expelled.

"You're wasting your time," I said finally.

The man glared at me for what seemed like over a minute. Every passing second felt like a prick in the arm.

Just then, a short, polite knock was heard on the door, and a man who looked to be in his forties, with slightly whitish hair and a fair complexion, walked in.

"It sure is a surprise to hear that you had come to visit us, Ayanokoji-sensei," the man bowed respectfully.

"Sakayanagi? How long has it been? 7-8 years?"

"I suppose it's been a long time since I succeeded my father as the Chairman of this school. Time flies by," Chairman Sakayanagi said. "You must be Ayanokoji-sensei's... you're Kiyotaka-kun, aren't you? It's nice to meet you."

"We finished speaking, so I'll be heading back."

"Ah, would you wait just a moment longer? I was hoping to speak to both you and your son, Ayanokoji-sensei."

I slowly took a seat opposite my father, while the Chairman took a seat right next to me.

"I heard from the Principal. You intend to make him withdraw from school, right?" the Chairman asked.

"That's right. And since a parent requests this for their child, the school must immediately take appropriate action."

Chairman Sakayanagi's eyes met those of my father's. "I'm afraid that is incorrect. It's certainly true that parents have a significant say in the student's attendance here, but we must examine the reason for which they want their child to drop out. For example, if a student is being subjected to terrible bullying, then the school will take that into account. Are you being bullied, Kiyotaka-kun?"

"Absolutely not."

"This is a scam," the man spat out. "He is my son. I can ask him to withdraw from this school whenever I want."

"Japan encourages autonomous behavior, Ayanokoji-sensei," Chairman Sakayanagi continued. "As long as Kiyotaka-kun himself does not want to drop out of this school, I'm afraid that I cannot remove him from the roster."

"Is that so?" he sneered. "Where is the old, agreeable man you once were, Sakayanagi? You accept 2 students of my institution without my permission?"

"2 students? Oh, you must be talking about Takeyama Keisuke-kun," Chairman Sakayanagi said thoughtfully. "Quite the brilliant student, if I may..."

"You're deviating from the topic, Sakayanagi. Why did you accept these 2 students in your school? I do know how the admission system here works, you know? The marks you secure in the written tests and interviews don't mean anything if you have already been eliminated by the school's panel."

"Like always, Ayanokoji-sensei, you're so well-informed..."

"You're splitting hairs. You knowingly accepted Kiyotaka and Keisuke into this school."

"I did, indeed," Chairman Sakayanagi confirmed. "I was quite taken aback to see 2 such brilliant students applying for ANHS in the same year. However, at the end, they're all students on the roster. They undergo the same criteria for judgement as the other students. Hence, they were evaluated and accepted on the basis of their merits."

"Don't screw with me," the man threatened.

"If you wish to continue this discussion, sensei, I can arrange for a four-way meeting with you, Kiyotaka-kun, Keisuke-kun and a school representative until a decision is reached."

The Chairman had basically rejected my expulsion, and in tandem, Keisuke's as well. This man had no more cards to play.

"Fine. It seems like I must resort to other methods."

"Other methods? If they turn to be too extreme, then —"

"You say that Kiyotaka is protected by the rules, did you not?" the man said. "Then in that case, if Kiyotaka does not follow the rules, then he is bound to be expelled, is that right?"

"Yes, definitely. Kiyotaka is just another student in this school. He is subject to the same rules and restrictions as the others. He does not get any preference because he is your son."

"Then we're done talking. I'm leaving."

"Do you want me to escort you?"

"No need."

With those final words, the man opened the door, walked out, and closed it harshly behind him.

_

After a leisurely chat with the Chairman, I headed out into the open November air.

After walking a few meters, and being completely out of earshot, I slowly took out my mobile phone, and placed it on my ear.

"You caught everything?"

"Everything," a calm voice flooded in through the speakers. "Thank you for calling me, Kiyotaka. Even though I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do with this information now."

I stayed silent.

Keisuke Takeyama had overheard the entire conversation that I had with the Chairman and my father.

What he did with this information in his hands now, was up to him.

He had come to learn that that man did not care much for his return.

In other words, he doesn't need to worry much about being expelled from this school, unlike me.

I have a bad feeling about this.

A feeling that tells me that things are going to get difficult as time moves on.

That man has power. And he will use every ounce of it if it means he can make me return to the White Room.

But I have Keisuke Takeyama by my side.

And that makes it much easier. Having a strong support like him, it will be harder for that man to be able to pull off something that drastic. Chairman Sakayanagi's support is also a force to be reckoned with.

Unless Keisuke Takeyama is targeted as well.

Like the old saying goes, you must break the legs before you move on to the torso.

Because then the kill becomes far easier.

And something tells me that Keisuke Takeyama is in more danger than I am.

_

Chapter 58 - Camouflage

( Takeyama POV )

The first day of winter vacations.

After waking up this morning, I stared up at the ceiling absentmindedly, and let out a small sigh.

"So today's the day, huh..."

I picked myself off my exceedingly comfortable bed, and washed up.

As I made my way down to the lobby, there were several first-years gathered around the mailboxes, seemingly whispering frantically about something. I lifted my eyebrows at the unimpressive spectacle.

"What's going on?"

I approached Kanzaki-kun, who was clutching onto a piece of paper tightly, almost as though he had some sort of personal vendetta against it.

Kanzaki turned to look at me with a sour look on his face.

"Damn that Ryuuen."

"I... what?" I replied blankly.

"Check your mailbox. You'll probably find it as well," was Kanzaki's short reply.

I nodded in understanding, and pushed my way through the crowd towards my mailbox. I flicked out the key from my pocket, proceeded to open the box.

Inside, was a sheet of paper, folded aggressively, almost like it were thrown inside with real hatred.

I narrowed my eyes, and picked up the sheet.

Ichinose Honami has been illegally collecting Private Points.

~~ Ryuuen

"The hell is this...?"

Did Ryuuen really write this?

If he did, why would he write his name at the bottom of the sheet? Why was he advertising to the rest of the grade that he was the one who came up with this plan?

I stared at the scribbled untidy handwriting on the paper. I haven't seen this handwriting before. It didn't belong to anyone in our class, if I remember correctly. But it is entirely possible that the person who wrote this changed their handwriting to avoid suspicion. I wasn't a handwriting analyzer, so I couldn't possibly know more than this.

"What do you think?"

Kanzaki approached me, and pointed to the sheet of paper. It seemed that everyone in the grade had received these letters, and all letters had the same contents.

"It's weird. Why would Ryuuen do this?" I asked no one in particular.

I slowly widened my eyes, and looked around the crowd, surreptitiously searching for a tuft of brown hair in the midst.

I found Kiyotaka towards the end, and he was chatting with Katsuragi.

Didn't know they were close.

Kiyotaka's eyes met mine, and after 2 seconds of staring, he nodded lightly.

I concluded that Kiyotaka was the one who wrote these letters.

There cannot be anyone else. He just confirmed it.

Did he write this to throw Ryuuen off track? Once Ryuuen comes to know of this letter, won't he immediately try to dispel the rumors?

Obviously not.

Because he is Ryuuen.

He would never do something that takes the fun out of the equation. Ryuuen will definitely play along with this piece of a puzzle.

I slowly smiled to myself when I understood the true intention behind this letter.

Ryuuen's gonna have a hard time.

_

( Ryuuen POV )

I stared at the wristwatch on my arm.

It was almost 2pm. Just a few moments shy of the time that I had set for Karuizawa to come up to the rooftop.

And just then, the door to the rooftop opened, and a lone student with long blonde hair entered, seemingly shivering a bit in the cold.

"So you came, Karuizawa."

"The message you sent me. What does it mean?"

She got straight to the point. Ibuki and Ishizaki were both nervously looking at Karuizawa, perhaps trying to gauge the gravity of the situation.

"I don't need to explain, do I?" I said. "You know very well what it means?"

My message had read, Manabe and her friends have already told me about your past. Come to the rooftop tomorrow afternoon at 2pm, alone. If you talk to anyone else, I'll spread your past to the grade.

A foolproof way. It was almost as easy as attracting a moth to a flame.

Karuizawa had come in hopes that this mysterious person X would come and save her. However, there was only one factor I could not counter in.

Takeyama Keisuke.

An unknown variable. His actions and involvement in this affair is something that even I cannot be sure of. I am well aware that Takeyama knows the identity of the secret mastermind working behind his back in Class C.

But are they really working together?

Or are they working independently and against one another?

The two of them working against one another feels counter-intuitive. However, from whatever I have gathered, the chances that they have interacted with one another is low.

Again, I'm not sure. It's completely speculation.

But I was sure that this would be a sure-shot way of smoking out X from the shadows. Karuizawa doesn't rely on anyone except this X. If X does not show up, then Takeyama will, and that'll just ruin everything. I'll have to let Karuizawa go, and I'll have to begin from scratch once again.

However, there'll be something that I'll gain from this. I'll know whether X and Takeyama are working together or not.

If Takeyama indeed comes to the rooftop, then it'll be obvious that X sent them the location and timing of the meeting place, because I drafted and sent the mail only to X and Karuizawa.

Either way, I'll walk away with half of the cake, or the entire cake. There was nothing for me to lose here in this gamble.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Karuizawa said in an aloof tone, and she stared at her manicure. "It's really cold, so I want to end this fast." She rubbed her arms against one another, as though signifying how cold it was.

"You're being naïve, Karuizawa," I said. "You really think you can continue playing this game of charade with me?"

"You're not making any sense, Ryuuen-kun. If you don't have anything more to add, I'm just going to leave."

Karuizawa did not shift from her stance.

"Welp. You're making this really hard. Manabe and her friends bullied you, ain't I right?"

She involuntarily stiffened, but just as quickly regained her composure. "Bullied me? What are you talking abou--"

"You were bullied on the cruise ship, Karuizawa. Isn't that correct?"

"Why are you continuously spouting nonsense? I've got somewhere to be. I'm leaving." Saying so, she turned around, as if to leave through the door.

"Manabe and her friends bullied you on the Cruise Ship, and they were later stopped by an unknown person X. This X threatened to expose Manabe and her friends for the bullying they did if they didn't listen to X. They acted as spies during the Sports Festival when we were discussing a strategy to crush Suzune. You know why X has so much leverage? Because of you, Karuizawa. You're a victim of bullying, and if you don't own up right now, then I'll spread it out to the school."

Karuizawa stopped walking, and she tried to process the information that I had dumped on her. "You've got it wrong. I'm not a victim of bullying."

"Oh? But your eyes say otherwise."

"Ah..." she let out a strange sound, as though suddenly thrown into a corner.

I walked a bit forwards, towards Karuizawa, and she backed away.

"I don't want anything from you, Karuizawa. I just need a name. The name of the person controlling Class C from behind the scenes."

"I'm really clueless right now. Do you mean Takeyama-kun?"

"No, silly. The one who's controlling you from behind the scenes," I said. "Say, Karuizawa. Do you know why Hirata didn't come to the basement of the Cruise Ship that day, even though you had asked him to?"

"What... how do you..." Karuizawa fumbled with her words.

"Because X told him not to. X set you up, Karuizawa. You were bullied by Manabe and her gang because X set you up. It's all going according to their plan. You think it's just a coincidence they showed up there to come and save you?"

Karuizawa looked at me with wide eyes. "What are you trying to say..."

"Nothing at all. I just want a nice, slow answer. Nothing less, nothing more. Just. A. Name."

"...you're wrong," Karuizawa responded fiercely. "I know nothing. I don't know who this X or whatever you're looking for is. You've got the wrong person."

"... you're leaving me with no choice. I'm being nice to you, Karuizawa. I wonder why you can't see that?" I asked playfully. However, I was forced to wonder about her fierce rebuttal.

Did she really not know who was working behind Takeyama? Does that mean Karuizawa is being manipulated by someone she herself is not aware of?

No, that makes little sense. Karuizawa would not have had to take such a long route for denying my accusations in that case. She could have plainly said that she did not know who she was working for.

In other words, she knew who she was working for.

"... you're wasting my time, Karuizawa. Are you gonna tell me or not?"

"I don't know anything."

"Ibuki, hold her."

Ibuki looked at me incredulously. "Wha-- ?! You do it!"

"Shut up and listen, you bastard. Who's gonna interrogate her if I'm restraining her? Besides, it's better for a woman to do it. I don't want any false accusations pinned on me later," I replied lazily.

"Tch..." Ibuki clicked her tongue in frustration, but nevertheless, dashed behind Karuizawa and pinned her arms behind her back.

"H-hey! What do you think you're doing!?" Karuizawa struggled and screamed at Ibuki, but against someone with professional martial arts skills, she wouldn't escape the grip.

"I'm sorry, Karuizawa. I have nothing against you."

"So a bit of torture is in line, isn't it ~~" I said in a sing-song voice, and Karuizawa struggled. "T-torture? What the hell? I'll call the teachers!"

"And I'll expose you to the school after that."

Silence.

Karuizawa widened her eyes, but did not respond to my provocation. If there is one thing Karuizawa would die to protect, it would be her past.

"Ishizaki."

"Y-yes, Ryuuen-san?"

"Fetch 2 buckets of water. The toilet would do."

Ishizaki sweatdropped. "A-are you sure, Ryuuen-san? Maybe we shouldn't go that far..."

"Do you wanna die as well, Ishizaki? I said to fetch 2 buckets of water," I repeated threateningly, and Ishizaki nodded fearfully, and exited the roof.

I walked slowly to the struggling Class D girl, and pulled out my own water bottle from my bag, kept a distance away. "Now then, Karuizawa. Who is X?"

"I don't know anything!" she screamed. "Why're you doing this to me!?"

Splash.

I emptied out the contents of my water bottle over her head, and she let out an uncontrollable gasp.

The water must have felt incredibly cold against her smooth skin, and with onset of winter, it was exceptionally cold.

"Wha-- ?!" Karuizawa let out a shivered gasp, and she slowly tried to steady her breathing.

Her ragged breathing.

"Hmm? Just a bottle of water was enough to get you breathing so quickly? Or perhaps did I dig out some precious old memories?" I taunted.

Karuizawa kept her eyes fixed on the rooftop floor, and she tried to stop herself from hyperventilating. Her struggle against Ibuki was slowly getting weaker and weaker, until came a point where Ibuki was just holding her by the cuff of her collar, like a dog.

"You're got time, Karuizawa. Tell me the name, and I'll stop. What is X's name?"

"..."

Karuizawa did not respond.

I sighed.

"Ibuki, get me your bottle."

"..." Ibuki wordlessly left Karuizawa's collar, but she made no effort or attempt to leave. Besides, even if she did try, I was going to stop her.

"I don't have a bone to pick with you, Karuizawa," I responded to her silence. "I just need the name, and I'll let you go. Why are you making this so hard for everyone?"

"... here," Ibuki returned with her water bottle, which was half empty. "I already drank the rest of it, so don't ask."

I unscrewed the cap, and held it threateningly over her head. "So, will you tell me or not? Who is X?"

"..."

Splash.

I emptied out every last drop on her hair once again, and she widened her eyes, covering her head with her hands, and shaking it like some sort of feral animal.

"Please... stop..."

"I've got Ishizaki's bottle on me as well. I knew it would come to this," I said exasperatedly. "One last chance. Who is X?"

"I... I don't... kn--"

I spilled Ishizaki's bottle as well. "Time's up."

"Please... stop it... why... why me..." she started muttering nonsense under her breath, and her breathing kept getting more and more labored.

"X betrayed you, Karuizawa."

She widened her eyes, and stared at me like a corpse.

"X has been using you since the beginning," I said nonchalantly. "Why was Hirata not around when you were in the basement of the cruise ship? Because X stopped them from going. X planned out the entire ordeal, and then saved you from their own disaster. They made themselves look like a hero in front of you, so that you would trust them."

"..."

Karuizawa did not speak, and her gaze moved to the ground.

"... so if I tell the n-name... you'll... l-leave m-m-me...?" she managed to croak out.

"I'll leave you, no strings attached," I said, as I inched closer towards a reveal.

Finally, I would get to know.

The name of this smokey bastard.

"K... ka..." she muttered.

"Hmm?" I strained my ears to hear. "Say it again. Loud and clear."

"K... "

A cold wind blew in through the west.

The rooftop was eerily quiet, as a new visitor entered the area, hands in his pockets.

I stared at the visitor, and a bubbly, maniacal feeling erupted inside of me.

"Kuku..."

I couldn't help but laugh.

"Can't believe it..." I said. "You've been hiding in plain sight, huh..."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
"Kouenji."

_

A/N's:

Hey guys! Been a long time since I've written an author's note.

So I'm speeding up a bit through this volume and the next, because I don't have too many plot points to add in until the second year starts.

And believe me when I say it, the second year is gonna be insane. I've got most of the ideas in my head, I just need to write them down on paper now.

So I'll speed through his volume. I'll wrap it up in around 4 or 5 more chapters.

Plus, I've got a ton of work irl right now, so my updates might get more irregular. I've been trying to post at least a chapter every 4-5 days, but that is gonna get really hard too. I'm sorry for this. I'll get back to writing soon.

Anyways, thank you for reading, and please leave a vote and comment! Cheers.

_

Chapter 59 - Rokusuke Kouenji

A/N's:

Clarification for the previous chapter.

It's not an April Fools lmao. It's the real thing.

_

( Takeyama POV, 2 Days Earlier )

"Kiyotaka."

I called out to the young man ahead of me on the road, and he stopped by to let me catch up to him.

"What is it?" he asked me.

"Tomorrow's the last day of school this term," I replied casually. "Wanna go out somewhere for a drink?"

"... maybe," he replied after a small pause. "You realize that being seen with you too often raises suspicion that I might be the second mastermind, right?"

"It does," I confirmed. "But only to those searching."

"Only to Ryuuen and the others," Kiyotaka completed my sentence. "When you say it, it sounds oddly persuasive..."

"I want you to keep a watch on Karuizawa Kei."

Kiyotaka slowed down a little. "... have you realized as well?"

"It's a hunch," I said. "Ryuuen will definitely approach Karuizawa. Because tailing us does not get him anywhere. Besides, we've got a tail right now, you know?"

"Why are you talking to me, then? It's suspicious."

"It's Tokito," I replied. "Or in other words, someone who doesn't care for Ryuuen."

"You're taking a risk," Kiyotaka replied. "I understand that Tokito doesn't have the best relations with Ryuuen, but will he let slip such an important evidence just because of a grudge?"

"It's already too late," I responded. "Ryuuen has lost patience. He'll resort to more aggressive and violent tactics now. In other words, he's going to approach his first connection to Class C's hidden mastermind."

"... Karuizawa-san."

"When was the last time she messaged you?"

"... yesterday," he replied. "She hasn't contacted me since. It's a bit unnerving. She's usually the one to initiate conversation even when we normally have nothing to talk about."

"You're telling me that Karuizawa-san should have messaged you today, and now you think that she's hiding?"

Just then, a mechanical beep. From Kiyotaka's mobile.

"Don't take it out just yet," I warned. "It could be a message from Ryuuen, and if he's around somewhere, then he'll know that you're the mastermind if you take out your phone."

"I've already thought of that," he replied. "I'll read the message once I reach the dorm."

"Hey, Kiyotaka?"

"Yes?"

"Do you want Ryuuen to know that you're the second mastermind?"

A long pause.

I turned to look at the brown-haired man. He was walking ahead as though he hadn't heard my question, but I knew deep down that he was thinking. Hard.

"...no. I don't see why I should," he finally replied. "I want nothing more than an ordinary school life. If Ryuuen gets to know, then that goes out of the window."

"Mhm. So you don't want Ryuuen to find out, whatever be the case, right?"

"Correct."

I nodded, and we set out towards the dormitory.

_

The message on Kiyotaka's phone had come from Karuizawa.

After reading her message, which said that she had been asked to come to the rooftop at 2pm in 2 days to confront Ryuuen, I left Kiyotaka's room, and walked slowly towards the staircase.

I climbed up the dingy stairs up to the 5th floor, just one floor above my current.

I stood in front of a certain room, and knocked thrice, crisply.

Silence.

I knocked again, a bit harder this time, signaling my urgency.

A bit of shuffling was heard from behind the door, and it swung open to reveal a well-built man with swept back blond hair, wearing a body-hugging tee.

"Oh? Takeyama-boy has himself come to visit me and pay his respects? Alas, I must say that I'm a busy man," Kouenji said in his usual tone, but he did not close the door on me. I took that as a good sign.

"Kouenji-kun, are you free right now?"

"Free? You must be in a rather tense situation to ask for help from someone as perfect as me," Kouenji replied. "But as a man with never-ending virtues of honor and patience, I shall entertain your monkey business, Class Leader."

... such a strange man.

"Excuse me, then."

I walked into Kouenji's room. Now that I think about it, I'm probably the first ever visitor in his room. I don't think anyone else in the grade even wants anything to do with him.

"Well, you've waltzed into my paradise without the permission of the King, Takeyama-boy," Kouenji replied, sweeping his blond hair back on his head. "But I shall pardon your incompetence this time."

I took a seat on his chair, while Kouenji sat down on his bed, and took out a clipper to trim his already-trimmed nails.

"Well then, Takeyama-boy? Do what pleasure do I owe your mistimed visit?"

"Kouenji-kun, what do you think of me as the Class Leader?"

Kouenji raised his eyebrows, and let out a hearty chuckle. "My, it looks like you really have come to seek approval from the greatest! Hence, I shall not disappoint you. I shall give you a straight, honest answer."

He looked up from his nails, and stared at me.

"I am under the impression that you are being assisted from the shadows, Takeyama-boy."

I narrowed my eyes as I looked at Kouenji. Indeed, I knew that he was incredibly perceptive. Kouenji boasted of his abilities and was narcissistic to an unhealthy degree, but he backs it up with his abilities.

And the fact that he doesn't care for the class, works in my favor.

"So you think I am being assisted from the shadows, Kouenji? I don't have the foggiest idea of what you're talking about."

Kouenji simple smirked. "I don't think so, Takeyama-boy. I know so. You are being assisted from the shadows."

"I don't understand where you are coming from," I continued to spin lies. "You surely know who it is, then? You must back up your claims with proof."

"Proof? Your words are rather queer to a refined gentleman like me," Kouenji replied without an ounce of hesitation. "Granted, I am currently not in possession of any solid proof that would guarantee your servant in the dark. But I am sure of it. There is no need to be so defensive. After all, Dragon-boy himself has started looking."

Dragon-boy...?

Oh. Ryuuen.

I stifled a chuckle. Needless to say, speaking with Kouenji was entertaining in its own way.

"Ryuuen, huh? It seems the news has spread out," I replied, after regaining my composure. "However, does it prove anything? Ryuuen is currently searching for a hypothetical enemy. He cannot fathom his loss against me, and now he wants to satisfy himself by showing that it wasn't a fair battle, but instead a 2 on 1. Ryuuen is being childish."

"Whether Dragon-boy is being childish or not, does not concern me," Kouenji said. "I know for a fact that you are not working alone, Takeyama-boy. Now if you will please leave my room? I have some important matters to attend to."

"I won't take much more of your time, Kouenji. I just have another question," I pressed on. "Do you know who is working behind me?"

"Oh? So you admit that you're not in this alone?" Kouenji faked surprise. "Ah, such a marvelous decision to bare yourself in front of me. You have come to realize that there is no point trying to hide anything from my all-seeing eye, haven't you?"

"I didn't get an answer to my question."

"Oh, my sincerest apologies," he responded blandly. "And what good would it do me to confirm whether I know or not?"

"It's not a matter of good or bad. Besides, there is no harm in telling me who you think of either, right?" I continued.

"Certainly, that is true," Kouenji said. "But you cannot barge into my room and extract information from me, Takeyama-boy. It is indeed vexing. You think I'm going to give you information for free?"

"No, you won't," I replied. "And that is why I trust you, Kouenji."

Kouenji raised his eyebrows, and merely scoffed. "Why, I must say that I don't swing the other way, Takeyama-boy. I shall wholeheartedly support you in your endeavor of gaining a man's affections."

"Getting that out of the way. You don't work for free, Kouenji. In fact, it wouldn't be an understatement to say that you don't work at all," I continued, leaving the topic of my sexual orientation aside. "But if you get something out of it, you'll help the class, won't you Kouenji?"

Kouenji silently listened to me.

"You want me to help the class, Takeyama-boy? I'm sorry, but I do things of my own volitions," he replied. "You cannot force me to help the class in which I have no interest."

"I'll pay you Private Points. In advance."

Kouenji narrowed his eyes. "You're bribing me?"

"I am, because your tunnel vision doesn't leave me any other viable option," I forcefully countered. "Besides, you're getting something out of it, aren't you? The job is extremely simple. Screw that, you don't even have to do anything. Just need to show up somewhere, and leave. That's it."

"You're dragging me into an unnecessary mess, Takeyama-boy," Kouenji replied. "I said that I have no obligation to serve the class, and I will not serve the class if I don't feel like it."

"I see."

. . . . . . . . . . . . .
"Then I have no choice but to expel you, Kouenji. Because you're being nothing but a liability."

Kouenji laughed out loud.

"Aha! You're strange, Takeyama-boy! Casually talking about expelling a perfect, model student like me?" Kouenji snickered.

"I'm not joking, Kouenji. It is true that your abilities are top-notch," I said. "But there are certain exams in the future that I am aware of. Special Exams that require you to expel a student."

I calmly thought back to the Special Exam held 9 years ago during Chabashira-sensei's time. I remember there being a choice to expel a student.

In other words, there is probably some way of expelling students in Special Exams. It's a gamble. I did not know anything about the rules of this exam, or how it works. However, it would be enough to keep Kouenji on guard.

This man values nothing more than his time and freedom in his school. An extreme version of Kiyotaka.

All I have to do to get him onto my side is to throw out the threat of expulsion into the air.

"Your measly threats do not work on me, Takeyama-boy."

"Measly threats? Would you like me to take you to the storeroom of the school for confirmation?" I replied casually. "Or maybe you would like to talk to Chabashira-sensei herself? I have several ways to confirm the authenticity, Kouenji. And there are exams where I can expel you without batting an eye. Help me now, Kouenji, or regret it later."

Kouenji's calm demeanor faded from his face, and he looked at me with a bit of an annoyed expression.

"As I've said, I do not care for your class antics. Go ahead and do as you please."

I let out a sigh. This man is incorrigible.

"You're annoying, Kouenji. The next time I get a chance, I'll expel you from this school. If you think you can save yourself with class points, I won't allow you to. The class is under my command. If I decide to expel you, I will expel you."

Kouenji merely smirked at my words.

"Such raw authority. I'm amused at how someone like you can command such a lowly class filled with defects," he said. "Your threats currently don't have any bite. Come back later, Takeyama-boy."

"300,000 Private Points."

"Hmm?" Kouenji's interest peaked.

"300,000 Private Points," I said slowly. "I'll cough up 300,000 Private Points for you. I'll pay half in advance. In return, you'll do a little job for me."

"... it seems I am being underestimated," Kouenji sighed. "Why do you think I'm going to do anything that you say?"

"Because if you don't, I'll expel you the very chance that I'm able to. Believe it or not, things are going to get very hard for you if you don't cooperate."

"Wonderful!" Kouenji beamed. "It surely has been a while since I've been cornered like this. But you surely don't think that I'm going to believe your antics of expelling me?"

"It's up to you. Is it worth taking the risk, when you can easily avoid it by doing a simple task? Besides, its not something demoralizing. You're going to be paid for what you do as well. I can't think of a more appetizing deal."

"So persuasive," Kouenji said heartily. "Remember, Takeyama-boy. I still don't believe that you can expel me. But I do not underestimate you. You're a worthy opponent, and hence I shall not risk my school life."

"I understand, Kouenji."

"I want half of the money right now."

"I'll transfer it over right away. We can even draw up a memorandum if you're conflicted," I said.

"There is no need for that. A deal between gentlemen does not require a memorandum," Kouenji replied, and he lazily picked up his mobile phone, and beckoned for me to transfer the points.

I looked at me balance.

Private Points - 1,357,000

I had approximately one and a quarter million points.

Most of it was from my victory at the Zodiac Exam, where I was the VIP. Besides, our class points have also increased dramatically, so we get almost 50,000 Private Points per month now.

However, paying Kouenji 300,000 Private Points would deplete quite a bit of my balance. Even if Kiyotaka and I split the bill, it doesn't seem like it is worth it.

However, this deal can be considered a permanent ban for Ryuuen.

Our Class C will gain a permanent advantage over Ryuuen's class this way. We can fool Ryuuen completely, since he'll think that Kouenji is X.

One of the reasons I approached Kouenji was his apathy towards class affairs.

In other words, he does not care who the second mastermind is. He only wants the Private Points I'm supplying him.

The perfect person when it comes to situations like these.

I transferred 150,000 Points to Kouenji, and the beep on his phone indicated that he had received them.

"The transaction is complete," I said, and I pocketed my mobile. "Your job will most probably be 2 days from today, on the second day of winter vacation. I'll text you the details later. You'll receive the rest of the points only when you finish."

"How professional," Kouenji mused. "I'm a man of my word, Takeyama-boy."

I nodded, and headed out of Kouenji's room.

_

Chapter 59.5 - Trust

( Takeyama POV )

I lounged around in my room.

After talking with Chiaki on the phone for a while, I decided to finally go ahead and get some useful work done today.

I lifted myself off my bed, and quickly typed a short and crisp message to a certain someone. After proofreading the message, I hit the 'send' button, and watched the message get read almost immediately by the recipient.

I smirked at my phone screen, and waited for the show to start

_

A polite knock was heard on my door, and I slowly stood up, getting myself ready to receive the guest.

I opened the door.

"Hello, Takeyama-kun!"

An overly cheerful and vibrant voice greeted me. The girl had short, beige-colored hair, and a body that any girl would kill for.

"Hello, Kushida-san. Do come in," I said, making myself sound as polite as possible, since I could see a few first years on the floor as well. I didn't want to expose Kushida just yet, so I acted like nothing was out of the ordinary.

"Ok!"

She pranced into my room without a second thought, and I slowly closed the door behind me, and double-latched it.

"You're an asshole."

Kushida immediately turned around, her face contorted in rage. "Why did you call me here? And what do you mean, 'I'll turn your school life into hell'?!"

"That was just a figure of speech," I replied calmly. "Just to get you here as soon as possible. I need this job done by today, after all."

"Tch. I'm not doing any of your work. I can't believe you double-locked the door. What are you planning to do? Molest me?"

"I have no interest in molesting you," I said. "You're here for a simple reason. I need you to transfer 300,000 Private Points to me, right now."

Kushida looked at me like I was some sort of maniac.

"300,000 Private Points? What the hell? Why would I give you my Private Points?"

"That's none of your business. I need them by today."

"Fuck off."

I sighed, and played back the recording of her screaming and ranting about Horikita. "If you don't, I'll release this to the school."

Kushida's expression morphed into one of pure rage and terror, all in one. "You son of a bitch..."

"Well, I'm a sadist, you see?" I replied amicably. "Besides, I'm not asking you of much. You were the VIP of the Dragon Group, and you achieved outcome number 1. Which means you received 1,000,000 Private Points from that exam as well. So 300,000 Points shouldn't be much of an issue, right?"

"Why do you even need 300,000 Points? You're just going to extort points from me because you have a recording?"

"If I were to extort points from you for no reason, I would have started doing so much earlier," I responded. "I'm asking you for points because it's necessary for the class. I'm not liable to give you an explanation. If you disagree, I'll release the recording."

Kushida pursed her lips in frustration, and stayed silent, staring at the ground.

"... fine," she finally responded. "I'll cough up."

She slowly took out her phone, and within a few moments, transferred the entire amount of 300,000 Points to me.

"It's done here, right?" she asked me. "If you release that recording, then I'll drag you down along with me, Takeyama."

"Don't worry. I wouldn't let go of such priceless evidence now, would I?" I smiled. Kushida stiffened up, and immediately made a beeline for my door.

"Wait up. Why're you in such a hurry to leave?" I asked genuinely. "I'm making coffee. Have a seat."

"Why would I have coffee with someone like you?" she scoffed. "Don't try to hold me back, I'm leaving."

"I'm being nice here, Kushida-san. Please stay."

"No."

"I insist."

Kushida slowed down, and turned to look at me with furrowed eyebrows. "Why do you want me here?"

"Hmm? No reason. As a class leader, I want to get to know everyone in my class," I replied. "Even though you've done nothing but hold back the class, you're still a part of it. Hence, my request."

Kushida bit her lips, as though to stop herself from shooting back a retort.

"Fine."

She sighed, and walked back into my room, and seated herself on my bed. "I don't think we have anything to talk about."

"We do, in fact."

"And what might that be?" she taunted.

"We can come to that later," I replied. "Tell me how your day was, Kushida-san."

Kushida looked at me like I was deranged.

"My day?" she repeated blankly.

"Yes," I replied crisply. "How was your day?"

"..." Kushida remained silent. "Why do you want to know?"

"Well, if you're uncomfortable starting off, I'll start with mine," I responded. "So classes were normal as always, and I decided to go and spend some time with Yosuke, since I hadn't spoken to him in a while. I caught up with Shibata-kun and Kanzaki-kun after school, and even had a small chat with Hiyori from Class D. And I returned to my room after a pretty hectic but fun day. I called you shortly after. What about you?"

"... I talked to many friends today," she said quietly. "Nene-chan, Ruri-chan and Maezono-chan from our class, and we went shopping today. We bought a lot of cute dresses, and then spent some time along with Karuizawa-san's group at a café. I had an appointment with a few girls from Class A after that, so I decided to spend some time with them as well. I returned back to my dorm room only around half an hour back, and I received the message from you then."

I stretched back on my chair. "So both of us had pretty exhausting days, huh?"

"... guess you could say that," she replied sourly. "I told you. What now?"

"Nothing. It just feels like you didn't tell me everything."

"Didn't tell you everything?"

"You and Karuizawa-san's groups don't get along, do you?" I asked, having heard this tidbit from Chiaki earlier. "It's strange how you sat together in a café and spent time together?"

Kushida bit her lips.

"Karuizawa, that bitch..."

She closed her eyes, and balled up her fists tightly, as though to try and control herself from lashing out.

"Hey, Kushida-san."

"..." She looked up at me.

"Let it out."

She widened her eyes. "What do you mean?"

"It's not good to bottle up negative emotions inside. Let it all out. There's no one here except you and me."

"... I don't trust you, Takeyama. Why are you doing this for me?"

"Because I know where you're coming from, Kushida-san." Kushida stared at me. "You're had an immense burden ever since your incident in middle school. You used to let it out by writing on a blog. But that was discovered. You tried to let it all out on the rooftop as well, but you were spotted by Ayanokoji-kun and me. You're desperately trying to vent out your frustrations, but you're unable to."

Kushida looked down at the floor, lost in thought.

"Let it all out, Kushida. Rant about it to me. Right here. Right now."

"... bitch."

"Huh?"

"Karuizawa is a bitch," Kushida seethed. "A whore, a slut. She keeps shooing my group of friends away, even though we've done nothing against her. Nene-chan, Ruri-chan, they're all such nice girls. Genuinely true and pure, unlike me. And yet Karuizawa treats them like trash. What's her problem!? Who does she think she is, Queen of England!? What gives her the right to act all bossy in front of them!? I fucking hate her! She keeps doing this shit! She thinks that she's a pretty girl just because that Hirata is her boyfriend!? I wish she would just die!!"

For the first time in my high school life, I saw Kushida's real face. The true, real face she had been hiding.

Not the friendly, cheerful girl in school.

Not the manipulative, cruel and sadistic girl she shows a select few.

But the pained, burdened and strained girl in front of me right now.

She keeps up her act in school in front of everyone, whether she likes them or not. She acts nice to everyone, even if the other person doesn't. She carries the expectations and hopes of all the people who consider her as a friend.

This was the real Kushida Kikyo.

"... huff, huff. Annoying brat," she spat out one last time, vehemently abusing Karuizawa and her entourage.

I started at her in awe.

"What are you looking at me like that for? It's creepy," she said, but without the usual hostility in her tone.

"Nothing, really. I'm just amazed."

"Shut up."

"Is that it? There's no one else you wanna verbally abuse?" I asked with a smirk.

"No. She was the one who pissed me off today," Kushida said, twirling around her short hair.

"Do you feel better?"

Kushida blinked, perplexed. "Huh?"

"Does it feel better now, that you've got that off your chest?" I asked. "Does it feel lighter now?"

"... it does," she admitted. "I used to do this on the rooftop earlier, but I stopped once I was found out. It's... been a while since I've ranted out."

She absentmindedly rubbed her nails together, staring off blankly into nothingness.

"You can come here anytime."

"Huh? Pervert."

"You can come here anytime to rant out your frustrations and burdens," I said. "My room is always open for you. I'll be here to listen to you. You don't have to bottle it up anymore. Trust me, Kushida-san."

Kushida looked at me, unable to think of something to say.

"I... you still have that goddamn recording!" she seethed. "You're going to use me anyways!"

"Delete it."

Kushida widened her eyes. "W-what?"

"Delete the recording, Kushida-san," I said. "Here's my phone. You can go ahead and delete it yourself."

"How do I know you haven't made a copy somewhere?"

"I'll let you go through my computer," I said. "I don't have anything to hide anyways. Go ahead and scourge out any device you want."

She looked at me suspiciously. "Why... why are you doing this...?"

"Because I want you to trust me, Kushida-san. You are resorting to back-handed methods only because you're being forced to by your own convictions. However, you don't need to anymore. You don't have to carry all the burden. I'll share it with you."

"..."

"I'll be completely impartial. You don't like Horikita or Ayanokoji. Heck, you hate me as well. Go ahead and rant it all out. Scream about how much of a bitch Horikita is, or how annoying Ayanokoji is. Scream about how much you hate me. I'll be here to listen to every last word of it. We're classmates, Kushida-san. You don't have to consider me as a friend.

But let me support you."

Kushida remained silent throughout my entire speech, and she flickered her gaze everywhere, unable to stay still.

"You're... you're not recording this on your phone, are you?" she nervously asked. "Did you record whatever I just screamed out, about hating Karuizawa...?"

"I did not. I'm giving you my mobile phone anyways," I said, and I handed my phone over to her. "You have all permission to go through it. My files, recordings, chats... do whatever you want."

"Whatever... I want?"

"By all means."

She shakily took my phone, and clicked it open. She slowly went through all my files, recordings, folders, chats... and deleted all traces of the evidence that I had gathered on her.

She had deleted all evidence that I had against her from my phone.

"You... you actually let me..." Kushida whispered quietly, and handed my phone back to me after going through it thoroughly again. "But why... I've done so many bad things... I leaked our participation table during the Sports Festival, I colluded along with Ryuuen during the Zodiac Exam and Paper Shuffle... why do you want to trust someone like me?"

"... I don't know," I replied truthfully. "Honestly, you've been nothing but a pain in the ass since the beginning." Kushida flinched a bit.

"But at the end, you're just a girl with a burden you're unable to remove. You just need to rant it out, right? I'll let you. Come to my room anytime. Give me a call or a simple text message, and drop by. You're a nice girl, Kushida-san. I want you to enjoy your school life and live without regrets."

"I..."

Kushida held back her reply. She tightened her fists, and her nails dug deep into the palms of her hands.

I slowly placed my hand over hers, and caressed it lightly. "It's alright, Kushida-san..."

She slowly loosened her balled up fist, and allowed me to interlace our fingers together.

Her hands were warm, much different from my own. They were smooth, and so small that I had to handle it with care.

A very touching moment indeed.

"Thank you..." she whispered lightly, still clutching my hand tightly. "I'll... I'll drop by once in a while, then..."

I let out a soft smile.

"But don't get me wrong," she added quickly. "I still hate you. You used me throughout the year, and nothing changes that."

"That's ok. I don't mind, as long as you don't."

"Plus I still hate Hori-bitch."

"No problem."

"And Ayanokoji-shit."

"Done."

For the first time that evening, she let out a smile.

A true smile, completely unforced, from the bottom of her heart.

"I wonder why you do this, Takeyama-kun," she said. "Sometimes I think you're an asshole, but there are moments like these when I think you are genuinely nice..."

"Happens to the best of us," I said. "Also, Keisuke."

She tilted her head cutely. "Hmm?"

"Call me Keisuke. Takeyama is too formal."

"... now I'm sure you're just hitting on me," she deadpanned.

"I'm not. I've got better options."

"Hey! That was mean!" she fumed.

"I'm kidding," I said quickly. "Besides, it's been quite a while, hasn't it? Maybe you should return back to your room before it gets too late."

"You're right. I should get going," she said, and she finally let go of my hand. "See you tomorrow then, Keisuke."

"Good night, Kikyo."

She smiled a bright smile at my direction, and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

I looked at my hand.

So this is what a girl's touch feels like...

I don't wanna wash my hands now...

I pushed these unnecessary thoughts out of my head, and bent down, groping my hand around under the bed.

I pulled out the voice recorder.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
After making sure that it had indeed recorded our entire conversation, I proceeded to hide it behind all my books, right at the end of the cabinet.

I genuinely wanted Kushida's trust.

However, it never hurts to be safe.

If everything goes smoothly, I'll never have to use this recording.

Because just this once, I want to be a good person.

_

Chapter 60 - True Defeat

"So you've been hiding in plain sight huh, Kouenji."

The blond flipped his magnificent mane like they do in shampoo commercials. "Alas, it seems Dragon-boy has resorted to the age-old tradition of torture to provoke a response from a harmless girl. Shame on you."

Ryuuen raised his eyebrows as the nickname that he had received from Kouenji.

"Wait, is Kouenji the... second mastermind?" Ishizaki returned to the door with 2 buckets of water, and stood staring at the imposing man.

"Kuku. That's what it seems like," Ryuuen mocked. "I thought you didn't like involving yourself in shitty class affairs, Kouenji."

"I do not have to give you a reason for why I help my class with their 'shitty' class affairs, as you phrase it?" Kouenji replied, and he pulled out a mirror to inspect his fabulous reflection. "I wonder if you will tell me why you involve yourself in class affairs, Dragon-boy?"

"Call me that once again, and I'll kill you."

"Oh? I would like to see you try, Dragon-boy."

Ryuuen stood his ground, but grit his teeth nevertheless.

From what he had heard, Kouenji was a mysterious existence. His physical and mental abilities were no joke. One could say he was top-tier in the grade. Ryuuen did not want to make any wrong moves.

"I thought it would be someone who didn't stand out much," Ryuuen replied. "To think that it would be you, what a let-down. I wanted to be surprised."

Kouenji merely laughed, and continued to look at his reflection. He then took out a bottle of gel from his pocket, and stared styling his hair.

Karuizawa stared at Kouenji like he were a clown.

"W-what...? K-Kouenji-kun...?"

"Ah, it looks like Karuizawa-girl has finally acknowledged my wonderful presence," Kouenji remarked. "Fear not, my lady. You shall be freed from the clutches of this tyrant soon."

Ryuuen smirked. "You think you can get away from here in one piece, Kouenji? I'm going to make you bow down to me. Besides, I've got my own suspicions. How do I know you are the real X?"

Kouenji narrowed his eyes.

"Oh? Now you're trying to disprove what exists before your measly eyes, Dragon-boy? I expected better," he said amiably. "I wonder how I should prove it?"

"Oi, Karuizawa," Ryuuen turned to menacingly stare at the drenched girl. "This is X? If I find out later that he isn't, I'll make you regret it."

Karuizawa continued to stare at the ground, lost in thought.

"I want an answer."

"Kouenji-kun is X," Karuizawa breathed out, her gaze flickering between Ryuuen an Kouenji. "But why... why did you come, Rokusuke..."

"Ha! Because I said that you're under my protection, young lady," Kouenji merely flipped his hair again. "I am here to assist you, since you've assisted me so flawlessly throughout the last few months."

Ryuuen stared at Karuizawa, and then Kouenji.

He did not know if Karuizawa was telling the truth or not.

However, he could not prove that she was lying either. From what evidence that he had gathered, it seemed that Kouenji indeed was X. His abilities were matching to those that he assumed the mastermind would possess as well. Unless this were a ploy to distract Ryuuen from the real hidden mastermind, or whether this was Takeyama's doing, there was no way he could know about it.

"Say, retard," Ryuuen sneered, referring to Kouenji. "You say you're the hidden mastermind. But I don't believe any shit that you spout."

Kouenji smiled. "I cannot help with that, Dragon-boy. Perhaps you're only delaying your inevitable defeat by saying so."

"What did you do in the Paper Shuffle?" Ryuuen asked threateningly. "How did Tokito's paper show up for your tests, and what the hell was the paper that came to our class!?"

"Hmm? You haven't figured it out yet, Dragon-boy? I'm disappointed," Kouenji sighed. "Well, being the perfect and virtuous deity that I am, I shall indulge in your pointless banter. You see, I had a deal with your homeroom teacher, Sakagami."

Ryuuen widened his eyes. "A deal... with Sakagami?"

"Yes! I had Sakagami controlled on the palm of my hand from the very beginning! I forced Sakagami-teacher to accept Tokito-boy's question paper, or I would expose him to the school for fraudulent methods."

Ryuuen bit his lips.

Class D's own homeroom teacher, Sakagami-sensei, was being controlled by the mastermind of Class C?

He unconsciously balled his fists. How stupid can Sakagami get?

"You didn't answer the other question," Ryuuen thundered. "How did such a difficult paper come to our Class D? I was aware of the 2 papers that we could have received, but we received a much more difficult third paper. How?"

Kouenji merely scoffed.

"That? That, my dear Dragon-boy, was Takeyama-boy's strategy. I had nothing to do with it."

Ryuuen raised his eyebrows. "Takeyama was the one who came up with the hard paper? You mean he sat and made that paper all by himself so that no one else would know?"

"Not at all!" Kouenji beamed. "That paper was in fact, given to Takeyama-boy by Sakayanagi-girl. It was the same question paper that Class A used against Class B."

Ryuuen widened his eyes in anger.

The paper that their class received was the same paper that Ichinose's class received from Class A as well?

Then, does that mean Sakayanagi and Takeyama are working together?

Ryuuen merely huffed at the possibility. Class A and Class C working together? It didn't seem impossible, but why would Class A agree to such an arrangement?

Was this the product of Keisuke Takeyama's charisma, that had taken the entire grade by storm?

Or was this the result of Rokusuke Kouenji's interruption and involvement in the Paper Shuffle?

Or was it something else entirely?

Either way, Ryuuen had no way of knowing. His inability to do anything in such a desperate situation irked him. It pissed him off.

"Oi, Butterscotch-Head," Ryuuen taunted. "I still don't believe your crap. How do I know you're the real X and not some phony that X set up?"

Kouenji did not even spare a glance at Ryuuen, and continued to fix his hair. Karuizawa stared at Kouenji like he was a clown. So did Ibuki and Ishizaki

" He is the hidden mastermind of Class C, the one working behind Takeyama?" Ibuki asked in disbelief. "I don't understand. I thought he didn't care about stuff like this."

"Shut up, Ibuki," Ryuuen sneered. "For all we know, he's a fake. But then we all know what I'll do if I figure out this is the fake mastermind, right?"

Ryuuen slowly took out his mobile phone, and waved it threateningly in front of Karuizawa and Kouenji. "I'll expose everything. Every, last detail about your past, Karuizawa. I'll expose it all."

Karuizawa shook her head in terror, and turned to stare daggers at Kouenji. "You said you'd protect me! Why don't you help!?"

Ryuuen laughed.

"Help? How can he help? It's a 4 on 1, with Albert on our side. He's got no chance."

"Make that 4 on 2, Ryuuen."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ryuuen widened his eyes.

The door to the rooftop slammed open harshly, and a tall man of about 6 feet, with straight, jet-black hair, walked in without a care in the world.

A strange, strangling aura engulfed the rooftop at his arrival.

One that felt uncomfortably tense.

"T-Takeyama?" Ishizaki choked out, unable to comprehend why he was here in the first place. "How did you come here? A-Albert?"

A long drawn-out screech echoed through the corridor, and Takeyama slowly heaved the large Class D boy onto the floor. Albert lay motionless, his head resting against the floor.

Ryuuen grinned sadistically. "Takeyama! Can't believe you got your ass up here to interfere as well!"

The said man did not respond, but instead walked towards the CCTV camera that was curiously lodged on top of the door to the entrance.

Takeyama narrowed his eyes.

On the lens of the camera, was black spray paint, preventing it from recording anything that was currently going on in the roof.

"So it indeed was all planned out. You were planning to torture Karuizawa-san either way..." he muttered.

Takeyama let out an indignant sigh.

"Why are you dragging this out so much, Ryuuen?" he asked the magenta-haired boy. "You found the person you were looking for. And yet you're dragging it out like a baby."

Ryuuen laughed.

"Dragging it out? Don't be silly, Takeyama. Now that you've shown yourself, my suspicion has peaked! Why are you here in the first place? Does this mean you and Kouenji had this all planned out?"

"Of course we had it all planned out," Takeyama replied. "You think we would come here without a game plan? Huh, Kouenji?"

When referred to, the blond smirked happily.

"Elementary, my dear Takeyama-boy!" Kouenji boomed. "I would have come up with a game plan of my own if you hadn't contacted me and coerced me into your plan. But I must say, your actions have borne fruit. Dragon-boy seems to be in quite a fix."

Ryuuen clicked his tongue.

What the hell was going on?

From their conversation, it could be made out that Kouenji did not trust Takeyama one bit. And knowing his personality, that would be the most probable case.

But if there was one thing Ryuuen had learnt after his successive defeats at Takeyama's hands, is that he cannot take any words of his at face value.

Was Kouenji really telling the truth about not working together with Takeyama? Or was it just another part of their elaborate scheme?

In that instant, Ryuuen widened his eyes.

He had unknowingly wound himself up in the web that Takeyama had created. Planting seeds of doubt in his mind, nurturing these said seeds to full-fledged theories, the entire concept of X...

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ryuuen had been played completely.

For the third time.

All this while, he had thought that he would walk away with useful information at the end of this ordeal.

But now he realized that that is only wishful thinking.

Takeyama knew this was going to happen. He knew what Ryuuen was thinking. He understood his thought process, and completely manipulated him.

Currently, Ryuuen had nothing on his side.

He could not beat both Kouenji and Takeyama by violence.

If he exposes Karuizawa's past to the school, he will lose his only leverage. Besides, now that he thought about it, how effective will exposing Karuizawa's past even be?

It's not like he had solid proof. Ryuuen knew for sure that Karuizawa was a victim of bullying.

But Ryuuen did not have any evidence to back up his claims.

The only evidence that he could think of were Manabe and her friend's testimonies. But being from Class D themselves, Ryuuen cannot possibly hope that the rest of the classes would believe his nonsense.

Ryuuen tightened his fist in tension. He now understood the purpose behind the letter that everyone had received this morning. The one about Ichinose Honami hoarding Private Points illegally.

The letter was a plan by Takeyama Keisuke.

It was to dispel any rumors of Karuizawa's past with bullying, if push came to shove, and Ryuuen ended up exposing her.

Because it would be soon proved that Ichinose was not illegally hoarding Points, and Ryuuen's reputation with information would plummet. People would see him as someone who starts fake rumors.

So if he tries to leak Karuizawa's past, it wouldn't work. Everyone in the grade would just shrug it off as another ploy by Ryuuen to trap an innocent person by faking rumors.

Violence wasn't an answer.

Manipulation wasn't an answer.

Exposing wasn't an answer.

Ryuuen was completely powerless.

As icing on the cake, Ryuuen had no idea if Kouenji even was the mastermind X he was looking for.

"Ryuuen, you've stayed silent for too long."

Said boy looked up towards Takeyama with a livid expression on his face.

"You've lost, Ryuuen," Takeyama continued without any remorse. "You really think you can beat me? You think I'm going to lose to a nobody like you? Wrong. You were never in control, Ryuuen. And you never will be."

Ryuuen laughed slowly, sounding thoroughly deranged. "Kuku! Takeyama, you sly fox! You really are annoying! You keep messing everything up! You fucker!"

Ibuki and Ishizaki stared wide-eyed at Ryuuen. He looked like he was completely losing it.

"R-Ryuuen-san...?"

Ishizaki meekly called out to the man in charge.

Ryuuen widened his eyes.

In the next second, he threw out a punch, aiming straight for Ishizaki's jaw.

The punch made contact, and Ishizaki was thrown back a fair distance. He clutched his jaw with his hand, blood slowly starting to drip down the corner of his mouth. He had probably cut up the inside.

Takeyama scoffed at the sight.

"So now you've resorted to attacking your own people? Ryuuen, you sick freak."

"Shut up," Ryuuen said threateningly, having lost all sense of rationality. "You're an asshole. You talk about playing fair, when Class C actually has 2 leaders working together. You think that's fair?"

"I never stopped you from working together with your class Ryuuen," Takeyama replied. "You're the one who never entertained the option. Your loss at my hands again is nothing more than the same repeated mistake you keep making."

Takeyama slowly walked forward, walking past Kouenji and Karuizawa. Kouenji had picked up Karuizawa, and led her down the stairs.

The rooftop now only consisted of Ryuuen, Ibuki, Ishizaki and an unconscious Albert.

"H-hey Ryuuen-san! Watch out!"

Ishizaki shouted a mindless warning, even though he had been sucker-punched by Ryuuen not 10 seconds back. Takeyama mentally applauded his loyalty.

Ryuuen threw out his right fist, aiming straight for Takeyama's face. But the black-haired man ducked right in the nick of time, and brought up his knee on Ryuuen's stomach, earning a low guttural growl.

"You're a monster..." Ryuuen smiled sadistically. "You really are a monster... no wonder Albert couldn't match up to you."

Takeyama scoffed.

The next moment, Ryuuen lashed out with his left leg, hoping to deliver some damage to the black-haired boy's torso. But he had already anticipated it, and Takeyama knocked out Ryuuen's right foot from under, causing the dictator to fall over pathetically.

Ryuuen scrambled to get up, and launched a backhand towards Takeyama's face. The latter dodged the strike rather easily, and kicked Ryuuen with enough force to dent a door. Ryuuen fell back, clutching his stomach in pain.

Takeyama continued to land a barrage of kicks on Ryuuen, not using his arms even once throughout the fight, which continued to remain inside his pockets.

Ryuuen lay lying on the ground, breathing heavily. His face was stained with blood and a broken nose. Ibuki and Ishizaki only watched from the sidelines, having no authority to interrupt this lopsided fight. Even if they did, both of them had realized they wouldn't have been of any help.

"Huff, huff..."

Ryuuen slipped in and out of consciousness, the pain on his abdomen and chest searing and threatening to tear through.

"So this... is true defeat..."

Takeyama merely stared at the now-fallen dictator of Class D, and sighed. He turned to Ishizaki, who immediately stiffened up.

"What are you standing there for? Go get a first-aid kit or something," Takeyama said nonchalantly, as though addressing an old friend.

Ishizaki stood dumbfounded.

"Huh?"

"Go get a first-aid kit, Ishizaki, or Ryuuen's gonna bleed out," Takeyama repeated.

"Don't, you fucker," Ryuuen spat out from the ground, still panting. "I'll take this bastard down..."

Takeyama sent out another kick for his stomach, and Ryuuen finally stopped talking, his harsh breathing slowing down as he fell unconscious.

Takeyama stared at Ryuuen's motionless body. He pointed Ishizaki towards the door, who realized that he must go and fetch a first-aid kit.

Ibuki and Takeyama were the only conscious people still remaining on the rooftop.

Ibuki kept silent, choosing to stare at Takeyama with hostility. However, she was a smart student, and had decided that making any move would only backfire.

Hence, she stayed silent.

Takeyama slowly paced around the roof, standing in front of Albert. He knelt down, and slowly slapped Albert's cheek a few times to stir him awake.

"Hey bud. You alright?"

Albert slowly heaved his heavy muscled body onto his knees, and stood up with Takeyama's help. "Take it easy."

Albert could only nod. The big man could only gawk at the spectacle on the roof — Ryuuen fainted in the middle of the rooftop.

"Bravo..."

Takeyama sighed for the umpteenth time that afternoon, only hoping for this drama to end soon.

_

Chapter 61 - Suspicion

( Takeyama POV )

A knock was heard on my door. I've been getting too many visitors lately, most of them being uninvited.

I walked up to the door, and swung it open.

Outside stood Ibuki Mio, along with Daichi Ishizaki and Albert Yamada.

"Takeyama-kun," Ibuki started. "Can we talk?"

I nodded at their direction and moved aside, allowing them to usher into my room. I closed the door and latched it.

"Why're you here?" I asked, even though I was fairly sure why they were here.

"Takeyama, I know this is a bit selfish and preposterous of us, but Ryuuen-san is going to leave school," Ishizaki said.

I sighed.

That man had the mental fortitude of an orangutan.

"So what do you want me to do?"

"Please stop Ryuuen-san from leaving!" Ishizaki wailed. "Class D is completely done without him!"

"So you want me to stop Ryuuen from leaving school?"

Ibuki and Albert nodded in affirmation.

"And why should I do that?"

Ishizaki pursed his lips. "I know that it is really stupid of us to approach our enemy for help, but trust us, Takeyama-kun, I've got nothing against you. I just don't want Ryuuen-san to leave school because of something so petty. He even entrusted Ibuki with all of his Private Points."

Ibuki opened her balance and showed me her phone screen, as though to prove Ishizaki's point. It currently showed a whopping 3 million points. Had he been extorting points from his classmates...?

"Well, I don't see why I should stop Ryuuen from leaving this school," I replied softly. "It's not that I have anything against him. But think about it. As the leader of Class C, you're approaching the wrong person for help. Any way that I look at it, it's beneficial to everyone. Ryuuen leaves and we have one less competitor to worry about in the Class battles."

Ibuki bit her tongue to stop herself from retorting. However, she couldn't come up with a valid comeback. Because what I had said was completely correct.

"So... you're not going to help us?" she asked hesitantly.

"I'll think about it. But for now, my answer is no."

Ishizaki hung his head low, while Albert merely made a sad face.

"Well, I don't see why you would help us anyways," Ishizaki mumbled. "After all that Ryuuen-san has tried to pull off, it's not like anyone in the school other than the 3 of us here would want him."

I chose my next words carefully.

"Well, it's no for now," I replied, prompting Ishizaki to stare at me like I was his god. "But don't hope for much."

Ishizaki and the other nodded vigorously, and soon, left my room without another word.

_

Kiyotaka, Karuizawa-san and I were currently sitting in Kiyotaka's room, seemingly in comfortable silence.

"Keisuke."

I turned to look at the brown haired man, while Karuizawa also seemed interested.

"How much did Kouenji take for this act?"

It seemed that Kiyotaka had come to realize that there was no way that Kouenji would have done what he did for free.

"Yeah, how did you even get him to do it?" Karuizawa asked. "As far as I know, Kiyotaka only told me to act like Kouenji was the mastermind when he arrives on the rooftop."

"A grand total of 300,000 Points," I said admirably. "He doesn't entertain bargaining."

"That much..." Karuizawa droned off, lost in thought. "I'll split the money with you, Keisuke. I don't want you to bear the burden." She pulled out her phone to pay me.

"It's not required," I replied quickly, grabbing hold of Karuizawa's hand. "I already have it settled out. I have enough Private Points to last me quite a while. Besides, this was my idea, and no one else needs to be involved in bearing the expenses."

"But you'll go bankrupt if you spend so much all the time!" Karuizawa pouted cutely.

"Don't worry about it," I assured her. "I'll handle it." I couldn't possibly tell her that Kushida was the one who paid for everything.

"Well, if you say so," she replied hesitantly. "But it's strange that Kouenji-kun agreed to this. To be honest, I did not expect him to come even if you offered him Points. You really are a sneaky one, Keisuke."

"I, well, kinda threatened him," I replied airily, much to Karuizawa's surprise. "But hey! It's not like he was helping us in the first place. Some threatening was required."

"Fair enough," Karuizawa said. "Hey, does Kouenji...?"

Karuizawa drifted off into an uneasy silence, and she looked at me apprehensively.

I shook my head.

"I didn't tell him anything directly," I replied. "Besides, Kouenji isn't the type to dig out other people's secrets. It doesn't suit his style. As long as he gets what he wants and is happy with it, he won't bother you."

Karuizawa nodded, seemingly relieved that Kouenji did not know of her past.

But this was only wishful thinking.

Ryuuen had screamed out on the rooftop that day, 'I'll expose your past to the entire school.'

In other words, Kouenji knows that Karuizawa's past is something that is hidden under wraps, and something that she would not like the school to know about.

However, Kouenji was exceedingly shrewd and clever. I wouldn't be surprised if he has already figured out that Karuizawa might have been a victim of bullying.

Karuizawa was on the rooftop too, so she must definitely know about Kouenji's possible information. However, as long as Kouenji does not do anything with this tidbit, which I doubt he will, there is no need to panic.

As they say, let sleeping dogs lie.

Suddenly, I received a call on my mobile phone, and I took it out of my pocket.

'Ishizaki'

I narrowed my eyes. Why was he calling me?

"I need to take this," I told the group, and I excused myself from the room, and ran into my room. I didn't need anyone to overhear this conversation while I'm out on the corridor.

I picked up the call on the last ring.

"Hello?"

"What took you so long!?" Ishizaki screamed from the other end. "It took... let's see, 30 seconds!"

"Shut up Ishizaki, before I come over to kick you," I replied nonchalantly, and that seemed to shut him almost immediately. "What do you want?"

"What do I want? You know why I called you!" he beamed. "Thank you, Takeyama-kun!"

"What are you talking about?"

"It's alright, Takeyama-kun! No need to be humble!" Ishizaki said from the other end. "Thank you for helping Ryuuen-san!"

"Wait. Say the same thing again, but slower."

"You saved Ryuuen-san from being expelled. Thank you," Ishizaki heeded to my request, and proceeded to formally thank me. I could hear Albert's affirming hums from the other end as well.

So Ryuuen did not get expelled, huh?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
What?

I clenched my fists in anger.

How?

I didn't do anything.

I even made sure that Kiyotaka did not interfere with Ryuuen's expulsion.

How did Ryuuen not get expelled, or worse, at least suspended? I was hoping for him to get expelled. One less class to worry about.

I grit my teeth.

What the hell was happening? This wasn't a part of the plan. How is Ryuuen still in school?

"Umm, Takeyama-kun?" Ishizaki spoke slowly from the other end. "Are you there?"

"Ishizaki."

"Y-yeah?"

"Did Ryuuen even go to the teacher's office? To submit his letter for resigning from the school?" I asked cautiously.

"Well yeah, duh! He did go. But it seemed that the matter was somehow handled internally by the teachers and principal. I'm surprised it didn't escalate at all. You're the one who put in a good word for Ryuuen-san, right? You revoked his expulsion!"

I kept silent.

Ryuuen's expulsion from the school... was revoked?

But why?

"But we still got hit by a penalty of 50 Class Points for our behavior, so I guess that compensates," Ishizaki muttered from the other end.

"Where is Ryuuen?"

"Ryuuen-san? Oh, he's outside the faculty office right now. Do you want me to hand the phone over to him?"

"Ask him to stay where he is. I'm coming right now."

"W-wait, Takeyama-kun?" Ishizaki asked me worriedly. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Ishizaki. I'm just coming over for a little chat."

I cut the call before I could get a response, and immediately put on a jacket. I walked out into the December air towards the teacher's office.

_

I stood in front of the school building's third floor, and I could make out the figures of Ibuki, Albert and Ishizaki, standing outside the office.

I walked over to the trio.

"Takeyama-kun?" Ishizaki was the first one to acknowledge my presence. "You actually came?"

"Where's Ryuuen?" I skipped directly to the point.

"He just left. He's outside, sitting down on the bench behind the school. You know the bench next to the vending machine?"

"I do. I'll head over. Besides, how's your mouth? Ryuuen sucker-punched you pretty bad."

"I think it's okay," Ishizaki said warily, massaging his cheek. "I feel a weird lump sometimes, though..."

I turned around to leave before he could delve into more anatomy.

I headed towards the spot that Ishizaki had pointed me towards.

I walked down the staircase, and was greeted by a nail-biting cold wind. I wrapped my scarf around another fold, and headed towards the magenta-haired boy, who was sitting down on the bench, staring at the floor.

"Ryuuen."

Ryuuen turned his eyes to look at me, and he narrowed them. "Takeyama? The hell you're doing here?"

"I wanna know too."

Ryuuen scoffed. "You really are a bastard, you know that? You won't even let me get expelled."

So Ryuuen really did not get expelled...

But why?

Why would the school overlook such blatant misconduct from a student, and let them off with just a deduction in Class Points? Guaranteed, 50 Class Points is a huge hit, but that doesn't change the fact that Ryuuen's actions were enough to get him expelled.

Besides, Ryuuen himself approached the teachers with an expulsion letter. In other words, the school does not want Ryuuen to leave.

That did not seem plausible at all.

First of all, if a student himself is applying to leave the school, why would the school prohibit him from doing so? As far as I remember, there was no rule which stated that you could not leave school of your own volition.

It did not make any sense to me.

Kiyotaka did not help him. I did not help him.

Ryuuen should not be in school.

Perhaps it was Kouenji...?

No. That's not possible. Kouenji would not care about things like these. Besides, he is not aware of the fact that Ryuuen had taken the decision to leave school. Only I was aware, and in tandem, Kiyotaka.

"What are you spacing out for, retard?" Ryuuen mocked me. "Or maybe I shouldn't call you a retard. You did save me from being expelled, after all. You even patched me up after I lost to you. Even though I'm not particularly thankful."

So Ryuuen thinks I'm the one who saved him from being expelled?

I decided to play along for now.

"I didn't want to lose an opponent like you so soon," I lied. "It would be a shame, don't you think, Ryuuen?"

"Tch. You and your twisted sense of justice," Ryuuen replied. "Did Ishizaki and the others tell you about it? I don't see how you did it otherwise."

"They approached me last night, and I decided to lend a helping hand."

"I see."

Ryuuen gave me a short reply, and went back to staring at the ground. I sighed. There wasn't much to talk about to him, now that we've officially established my victory.

"Kouenji wasn't the mastermind, was he?"

I turned to look at Ryuuen, who was eyeing me warily.

"I know Kouenji isn't the mastermind. It's someone else. And I'm sure of it now," he continued.

"Well, you can take your shot Ryuuen," I said. "Doesn't change the fact that you still lost. Whether you figure out the mastermind's identity now or later, it's over. You can only assume their identity."

"Kuku, I expected this answer from you..." Ryuuen smirked. "You're neither going to confirm nor deny my accusations. You're like those annoying lawyers..."

"What are you planning to do now?" I changed the question in my favor. "Will you continue to lead Class D?"

"What do you think I should do?" he asked me cheekily.

"Why're you asking me? It's your class," I replied exasperatedly. "Go ahead and do whatever you think is good for you."

"Then in that case, I might as well continue to be the leader of Class D," Ryuuen replied, standing up. "But I've come to a realization, Takeyama — you're a demon. I'd rather not go up against you so fast. Maybe Ichinose would be a better target..."

Ryuuen smiled an evil smile. I felt a pang of guilt. My heart went out to Ichinose and her class.

"Well, you do you," I waved him off. "I'd rather you keep this incident under wraps."

"Of course. I don't want the entire grade to know about how my ass was handed to me now, do I?" he replied. "You win, Takeyama. I'll give you that. But I'll come back stronger the next time. Once I'm done destroying Ichinose and her class of wimpy losers, I'll come back to challenge you again."

"I'll be waiting for it, Ryuuen."

Ryuuen scoffed, and immediately set off in the opposite direction, towards the dormitories.

"Who do you think the second mastermind is?" I called out behind him, and he turned around to give me one last grin.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
"I have no fucking idea."

With that last sentence, Ryuuen left.

_

SS.8 - Friends (Kikyo Kushida)

"Let it out."

I narrowed my eyes, and stared at Takeyama Keisuke.

What is he talking about?

"What do you mean?"

"Let it all out," he repeated. "You're bottling up your feelings inside you, aren't you? You're unable to vent out your frustrations, your anger, your desires — you're holding everything back."

"I..."

I began to respond, but for some reason, the words were stuck in my throat.

I knew what I wanted to say.

I wanted to berate Takeyama for even thinking that he knows the pain that I feel everyday.

But for some reason, I couldn't say it out.

Why wasn't I able to curse Takeyama, when he's saying something that I hate so much? Why does he think that he knows what I'm going through? Why does Takeyama always act like some all-knowing deity? It's annoying.

"I don't trust you."

"But I want you to trust me. That's where it all begins, doesn't it? It all starts with trust. It all ends with trust."

I bit my lips to prevent myself from retorting once again.

Why?

Just, why...?

Why was he going so far to save someone like me...?

Someone who's already beyond saving?

Why does he need to act all goody-two-shoes now? Why does he care about me now?

"I... don't know."

"It's your decision, Kushida-san. You'll feel better once you rant it out. Besides, ranting is much more effective when there's someone to listen to you."

I widened my eyes.

"What do you mean...?"

"Let it out, right here, right now," he said blankly. "I'm listening, Kushida. I'll listen to everything you have to say. Even if it's about me, I'll listen to it bravely without interrupting. You'll find the person who will listen to everything you want to say in me."

Why is he doing this...?

I slowly thought back to the days when I used to rant it out on my blog.

My middle school days, when I used to be hailed as the queen of the class, and everyone would always come to me for help, advice and confessions.

I used to be the heart and soul of the class.

And I loved it.

I loved the popularity.

I loved all the love I received.

I was drunk on popularity.

But then a boy in my class found out about my blog, and knew that the writer was me.

Everything went downhill from there.

"Bitch..."

"?" Takeyama raised an eyebrow.

"Karuizawa-san is a bitch..."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
I don't know why I did what I did that day.

Why did I trust Takeyama Keisuke?

Was it because he had this aura about him? This calming, soothing atmosphere around him all the time? Maybe it was his unparalleled charisma that had taken the entire grade by storm?

Was it out of fear? Takeyama is, after all, the man who can ruin my entire school life in less than a second with a recording.

No.

It wasn't any of them.

It was because I wanted to finally trust someone.

I've wanted to trust someone for so long, but I've never found the right person. I never know when and who to open up my heart to now.

But why did I choose Takeyama? There are so many other people out there, and I had to choose the person I hated the most in this school?

That's what is has come down to.

I proceeded to rant out everything about that evening to the black-haired man, who silently listened to me without batting an eye.

I spit out venom. But he did not say anything.

I berated Ayanokoji and Horikita in front of him. He did not say anything.

I even screwed over Karuizawa's friends, and that included Chiaki Matsushita, just for a tad bit.

But he still did not say anything.

He continued to listen to me, giving me all his attention. He did not flinch when I insulted his best friend in front of him.

Sometimes I think that even Takeyama Keisuke is putting up an act.

But who does not put up a façade in this world?

Everyone has some sort of secret that they don't want others to know.

For me, it is my past in my middle school and my real personality.

Takeyama Keisuke has one too, which no one in this school is aware of.

" Huff, puff..."

I took in deep breaths to calm myself down after the onslaught, and Takeyama even brought me a glass of water from the kitchen to help me cool off.

You don't have to do this alone.

His annoying voice and words continued to replay in my mind.

I'm here to share your happiness and sorrows.

I slowly balled up my hands into a tight fist. My nails dug deep into the palms of my hand, and I almost cut myself with the pressure I was exerting.

I'm always going to be there for you, whether you trust me or not.

Suddenly, I felt it.

A warm and rough hand encapsulating mine, and I looked down to see Takeyama's hand gripping mine with a soft but firm grip.

His hands... are nice...

A single tear escaped my eye.

I loosened my balled-up fist, and allowed him to intertwine our fingers together.

His hands were much larger than mine. Firm and hard, but not painful in the least. I clutched his hand tighter.

I wonder what made me change so much?

... I wonder if I can finally become a better person?

_

Chapter 62 - Date?

( Takeyama POV )

Today was the first day of snowfall.

I stood outside the dormitories, looking up into the sky and savoring the rather exquisite taste of the snowflakes in my mouth. I didn't care if anyone saw me this way. Snow is rather new and interesting to me.

It was around the end of December, and winter vacations were currently ongoing. There really hasn't been much drama ever since Ryuuen got beat up, and things have been really quiet between Class C and D now. Those Class D blokes don't follow around my classmates anymore, so things were ironed out.

On the weirder side of things, Ryuuen and I were on surprisingly good terms now.

If anyone were to ask me why and what the hell, this is probably something that only guys do. They beat each other up, and that's how we settle our differences. It's simple yet effective.

Ishizaki and Albert had invited me to hang out with them at the arcade, but I was already preoccupied, so I had to turn down their offer. Besides, the Leader of Class C hanging out with the lackeys from Class D would not be seen in good light by my classmates.

I was busy anyways, so I didn't have much of an issue turning him down.

I glanced at the clock. It was 11am, so my scheduled meeting time was coming up.

I sighed, and walked towards Keyaki Mall, and the usual café that I visited, The Brewster. I passed by several couples on the way, most of them being from the second and third years.

Now that I thought hard about it, our grade doesn't have too many couples. Granted, there are a few of them here and there, but I don't think the number exceeded 4. There were 2 couples in Class A, and one each in Class B and Class D. I left out Hirata and Karuizawa for obvious reasons.

Couples, huh?

I playfully kicked the snow on the way to the mall, much to the annoyance of a second year student who I had accidentally kicked the snow onto in the process.

Maybe I could try my luck out with dating as well...

I knew I could definitely get a girlfriend if I tried. But it irked me that I had to choose someone. There wasn't anyone in the school that I potentially saw as a candidate. Most of my female friendships had been surface level, except a few deep ones like with Chiaki and Horikita. And I doubted any of them would want to date me.

Plus, it would get a bit dicey if I tried for someone who wasn't in Class C. It wouldn't be outright treason, but as a Class Leader, I had a very important role, and I didn't want to lose the trust of the class just because I was experimenting love.

What exactly do couples do, anyways?

If TV shows serve me right, they hold hands, snuggled up close to each other, surprise each other with presents and gifts, and do the occasional kiss if they're close enough, and maybe more...

I sighed, and realized that I wasn't too interested in the ordeal, but just the concept. The concept of dating fascinated me, but actually going through with it felt like too much work for a lazy bum like me.

Guess I'll remain single...

I turned the last corner, and walked up the main road to Keyaki Mall. I passed by a few familiar faces from the other classes. It seemed that many students had plans to hang out with their friends today. I felt kind of lonely walking down the street alone. I picked up my pace.

As I neared the café, I saw the rather crowded door outside. It wasn't exactly rush hour, so it felt unnatural for it to be this crowded.

As I approached the café, I walked up to the front door, ignoring the queue beside me.

I approached the waiter.

"Excuse me, I have someone waiting inside for me."

The waiter nodded, and guided me inside. For some reason, I could feel the penetrating gazes of all those who had been waiting in the queue behind me. They were probably pissed that I skipped the queue.

I walked in.

And I could suddenly feel the tense atmosphere inside as well. It seemed that most of the crowd inside was staring at me and frantically whispering about something.

I entered The Brewster, and the supple and magnificent heat burrowed its way to me, and I finally unwrapped my scarf. My trained eyes searched for a single girl.

I found her seated in the corner of the café, elegantly sipping her coffee.

I approached the lilac-haired girl, and she gave me a smug smile as I arrived. She was wearing a cute full-sleeved dress, with thigh-high stockings and a matching hat. I savored the eye candy in front of me.

"Fufu, it's so unlike you to make a frail woman like me wait, Keisuke," Sakayanagi Arisu said. "Perhaps you're a sadist?"

"Well, that I am," I replied nonchalantly. "Besides, I'm a true believer of gender equality. If guys can wait, so can girls."

"Fufu~~"

Sakayanagi let out a slow but hearty chuckle, and she motioned for me to take my seat opposite her. The café was rather crowded, but I realized the tables around us were rather empty, even though there was quite a throng outside.

"Surprised?" she asked me almost devilishly.

"I am," I replied. "Why are the tables around us unoccupied?"

"It seems that this is the result of two of the most influential people in the grade having a conversation in public," Arisu said patiently.

I nodded in understanding.

This café was famous not only because of its rather exquisite menu, but also because the seniors did not frequent here too often. In other words, most of the crowd in The Brewster are first years.

In tandem, a meeting between 2 class leaders would probably draw some serious attention. Plus, it tends to spread rumors if said meeting is between the opposite genders.

"So people are, let's see, intimidated by us?" I asked half-jokingly.

"Of course they are," she replied warmly. "After that stunt you pulled off against Ryuuen, you're quite famous. Even more famous than before, I must add."

I narrowed my eyes.

So the news has spread?

"You're probably wondering how I know this, Keisuke," she said seductively, bending forward a bit on the table. "But don't worry. No one knows any details of what happened. The news spread like wildfire. ' First YearHeartthrob beats The Dictator senseless'. It's hot."

"But how?" I asked. "I don't remember leaking this information."

"You don't? Oh, I wonder how then," Arisu said with her usual smug attitude. "It seems that you were the one who posted it on the school's forum, Keisuke."

She slowly slid her phone across the table towards me, and I peeked at the top notice on the school's online forum.

It contained just one line, written in bold. 'Keisuke Takeyama beats up Ryuuen Kakeru.'

"What the hell...?"

I narrowed my eyes. Who posted this?

Now that I think about it, it cannot be anyone who didn't know about this fight, for obvious reasons. It has to be someone who was on the rooftop that day.

It cannot be anyone from Class D, as this message does nothing but damage their reputation. I can rule out Ishizaki, Ibuki, Albert and Ryuuen himself from this, in that case.

That leaves Karuizawa, Kiyotaka, Kouenji and I.

And it doesn't take a genius to figure out who.

"Kouenji..."

"Hmm? Kouenji-kun was the one who leaked this?" Arisu said with a soft smile, as though mocking me. "So he was involved in this ordeal as well? And I can assume that this is true?"

"I don't think there is anything that I need to hide, seeing that I'm just as clueless as you are," I deadpanned. "But yes, Kouenji-kun was there as well. However, I must refrain from divulging any more information."

"I understand," she replied. "After all, we're here not to talk about class affairs, right? We're here on a date."

I stared at the lilac-haired girl, who was staring back at me with enchanting eyes.

"Wait, this is a date?"

"As always, your harsh words wound me, Keisuke," she replied without a trace of feeling hurt in her voice. "You're going to leave me hanging?"

"Of course not."

"Then let's not talk about anything class-related," Arisu said, clasping my hand from across the table. "I, after all, wanted to just spend some time with you during Christmas. Will you not spend some alone time with me?"

She leaned on the table, grabbing my hands before I could take them off the table.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Damn those doe eyes.

_

[ Meanwhile... ]

"Sakayanagi and Kei-chan... are on a date?"

"N-no, not a date!" chibi Sato screamed adorably. "It's not what you think, Chiaki-chan! They're doing class affair stuff! Class Affairs!"

"They're... doing... each other?"

"Wait, no! You've got it all wrong!" chibi Karuizawa joined in to the screaming. "They're just hanging out with each other! It's. Not. A Date!"

"... date?"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
*sad Chiaki noises*

_

Chapter 63 - Operation Peri-Peri [Bonus]

( Takeyama POV )

I closed my eyes.

Ah, the pleasure of closing your eyes.

Over 50% of the brain is dedicated just for processing visual input and decoding the world around you. In other words, when you close your eyes, you're automatically shutting down 50% of your brain, and giving it the much needed rest.

Hence, the heavenly feeling of calm and tranquility engulfs you, as you rest your orbs.

"I want to sleep..."

I muttered to myself, and tossed around in my bed.

Just then, my mobile phone beeped up. I grumbled internally, and checked on the notification.

~~ Kei Karuizawa has added you to the group 'Operation Peri-Peri'

What?

I couldn't help but let out a dry chuckle. What the hell?

My interest suddenly piqued, I clicked the chat open, and scrolled through its members.

~~ You
~~ Chiaki Matsushita
~~ Kei Karuizawa
~~ Maya Sato
~~ Yosuke Hirata

This is... a strange group. Was this some new friend group that I had unknowingly become a part of?

I don't really remember talking much to Sato-san. Granted that I had indeed talked to her on several occasions, but I would like to think that our interactions did not exceed the level of 'acquaintances'.

Kei Karuizawa was of course one of the girls in the class I was close to, but that was through Kiyotaka. So it wasn't something that I would openly brag about in public.

Hmm.

_

Operation Peri-Peri

Target:
Umm, what is this?

Agent Kei:
Keisuke! Good thing you showed up! Wassup ~~('')~~

Target:
I'm good... I guess?

Agent Maya:
Yes, stage 1 complete. Welcome to the chat, Takeyama-kun!

Target:
I need someone to explain what is going on.

Commander Yosuke:
Hello, Keisuke! Fear not, this is just an experimental group chat that we've come up with! The 4 of us are planning to hang out one day after school, so we decided to rope you in as well!

Target:
Oh. So that's what this is all about?

Commander Yosuke:
Yes! Absolutely nothing else!

Agent Kei:
Absolutely nothing!

Target:
Well, ok then. What's with the nicknames though? Why the hell am I called 'Target'?

Agent Maya:
Just for fun, just for fun! Nothing going on at all!

Target:
... right.

The Package:
Hi Kei-chan~~

Agent Kei:
That's Chiaki-chan btw

Target:
I figured. Hello Chiaki.

Agent Maya:
Chiaki-chan, hi! (/)

The Package:
Hiiya ~~

Commander Yosuke:
Well, now that everyone's here, how about we decide where we're going to head to for our outing? It needs to be someplace that we don't frequent to very often. Let's try out something new!

Agent Kei:
Correct! Let's NOT go to The Pallet / Brewster!

Agent Maya:
How about Seven Hills? It's a pretty posh restaurant just a few blocks down Keyaki Mall! I've heard that it's incredible!

Agent Kei:
That sounds like a pretty good idea! Wbu guys?

Commander Yosuke:
Fine by me!

Agent Maya:
Plus they serve all types of dishes! Continental, Mediterranean, Japanese... I'm hungry already.

Target:
Don't wanna ruin the mood here, but I'm pretty sure Seven Hills is more of a 'date spot'. Not too sure if it's gonna be good since we're going in as a friend circle.

Commander Yosuke:
That shouldn't be a problem! Even if it is a date spot, I'm sure we can all enjoy as a group of friends as well!

Agent Kei:
This

Agent Maya:
This

The Package:
... this ?

Target:
... you guys are rather coordinated today. Makes me think you're all sitting in the same room :)

Agent Kei:
What! No way! Why would be sitting in the same room?!

Agent Maya:
Yeah, why would we, Takeyama-kun!

Commander Yosuke:
Don't worry about a thing! We aren't in the same room!

The Package:
Of course we aren't in the same root!

roon

rool

room

Agent Kei:
r/ihadastroke

Agent Maya:
Haha, nice

Target:
-_-

_

[ Meanwhile, in Sato's Room ]

"And... send!"

"Chiaki-chan, did you forget how to type?" Kei Karuizawa facepalmed.

"Wait, it happens to the best of us!" Chiaki wailed. "The keyboard gets all annoying and fidgety and you can't type anything without messing up 10 times!"

"Hey, we need to watch what we type out," Hirata said thoughtfully. "Keisuke is extremely observant. If we type it out too fast, he'll deduce that we're sitting in the same room. I think he already has."

"Jeez, how can someone be so smart..." Sato muttered. "Say, so everyone remembers the plan, right?"

"Of course everyone remembers the plan," Kei Karuizawa facepalmed again. "But what we need are valid excuses to ditch the group and let Chiaki-chan and Keisuke have their own sweet time~~"

"D-don't put it that way, Karuizawa-san," Chiaki blushed madly. "Oh god, it's gonna be a date at Seven Hills..."

Chiaki screams internally. She's finally going to score a date with the number one boy of school!

"Matsushita-san, you're drooling..." Hirata said uncertainly.

Chiaki immediately snapped back to the real world, leaving her fantasies behind. She flashed a bright pink. "W-what? I'm sorry!"

"Heh, you really loooooooove Takeyama-kun, don't you?" Maya Sato nudged the poor girl devilishly, making sure to extend the word 'love' as much as possible.

"N-no! It's nothing so deep!" Chiaki shook her head left and right. "It's just, how do I put it, he's really smart, and strong, and handsome, and kind, and he's always been there for me..."

"... that's called love, Chiaki-chan," Karuizawa facepalmed for the third time. "That is essentially love."

"I-is it?" Chiaki murmured slowly.

"It is!" Hirata replied cheerfully.

So, the plan to get Chiaki Matsushita and Keisuke Takeyama together was finally underway. This would be a one-in-a-million chance. The success rate of this plan had been calculated to be a whopping 75%. However, the math was done by Karuizawa-san, so it was subject to change.

All the best, Chiaki Matsushita!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
"Well, I wish I could be a cool couple like Karuizawa-san and Hirata-kun..." Chiaki said, and she started fantasizing about Keisuke again. "I want Kei-chan... to gag me... and tie me up... oh yes, Kei-chan, right there..."

Maya bonks Chiaki and sends her to horny jail.

_

Chapter 64 - Date!

( Takeyama POV )

I fixed my hair in the mirror. Should I expose my piercings when I go out today...?

I mean, they're closing up bit by bit anyways. I haven't worn anything on them in a while because it feels weird whenever I touch my ear.

But maybe today, I'll do a good deed and honor Daisuke-san.

"What's with this trend anyways..." I muttered to myself, as I latched on a pair of earrings I had received from my butler. "I'm not a delinquent, yet I'm wearing these..."

I accidentally pinched my earlobe.

"Ouch," I twitched in annoyance. I stared at the red mark I had so gracefully made on my ear. "Great, now I look like I'm perpetually blushing..."

"These don't look good..."

I took off the earrings, and put them back in the black box that I kept for such occasions. They came few and rare, but they did.

"This one..."

I pulled out a simple hanging earring. It had a simple yet funky vibe to it, so I decided to experiment with it. I'd never worn this one before, so it must have been a part of the gift box that Daisuke-san had bestowed upon me before entering campus.

"Alright, this one."

I put on the earring.

Jesus Christ, this one is a bit heavy. But it's not unmanageable.

I wrapped my scarf around, and put on a navy blue trench coat. I stared at the reflection in the mirror.

Looking pretty good, not gonna lie.

I flipped out my dorm keys, and walked out of the room, headed towards Seven Hills.

_

I've been getting a lot of stares. Maybe I should have left those earrings at home.

Everything was fine until a first-year Class D girl fainted across the street with a nosebleed, and she had to be carried away by her friends, who were more interested in me than their friend anyways.

I shuffled down the snowy street, walking at a brisk pace towards my destination. I hadn't checked the group chat in a while, but we were supposed to meet at around 12 noon. I don't think the time changed.

I turned the last left, and the majestic view of Seven Hills came into picture. It took me a while to register that we were actually hanging out at the Seven Hills. The spot where you go only when you're completely loaded with Private Points.

I shook my head, and stood by the entrance. Looks like I'm the first one to be here...

I quickly opened up the group chat on my phone.

_

OperationPeri-Peri

Target:
I'm here. Are you guys coming or not?

Agent Kei:
I'm sorry Keisuke, but something really important came up! I need to attend this! Same goes for Hirata-kun and Maya-chan!

Agent Maya:
We're really sorry Takeyama-kun! I hope we can hang out sometime later once again

Target:
... you're kidding me. Commander Yosuke?

Commander Yosuke:
Unfortunately it's true, Keisuke. We received a really important notice. I hope we can make it up to you at a later date!

Target:
... The Package?

The Package:
Hiiya Kei-chan~~ I'll be coming, so you won't be alone!

Target:
So just the two of us then, huh?

The Package:
Yup! Just the two of us~~

Target:
You guys better have a good reason to bail out on us like this.

Agent Kei:

Agent Maya:

Commander Yosuke:

_

( Chiaki POV )

I walked down the snowy streets. I was staring at my phone, and felt a pang of joy clutch my chest when I realized that the plan really was working.

Thank you, Kei, Maya, Hirata!

On the other side of the street, I saw a Class D student... being supported by 2 of her friends? Did she get hurt or something? Wait, is that a nosebleed?

Whatever.

I turned the last corner, and headed towards the board 'Seven Hills'. I searched around for Kei-chan. He said that he had already arrived, so he must be--

Poof!

As soon as my eyes fell on a certain person, my mind went blank.

And from the looks of it, every single female in the area had gone blank, and were absentmindedly staring at the man who was leaning in front of the billboard, staring into the snow.

He was wearing black jeans and brown boots, topped with a classy navy-blue trench coat. He completed the look with a dark scarf. But what stood out the most were his dangling earrings, something that he rarely wears. I've only seen him use his piercings once or twice when I was in his room, but I didn't know he actually had such fancy accessories.

Even though he was my best friend, and the closest I've ever been to a person, I couldn't muster up the courage to walk up to him. I felt like such an outsider at the thought of interacting with someone so handsome.

No, Chiaki! Get a grip! He's your friend, but the goal is to take it to the next level! And today is the day I finally score a date with him!

I tightened my fists, and stopped my legs from shaking with nervousness as much as I could. I took in a deep breath, and walked towards Kei-chan.

He didn't seem to notice me, as he blissfully stared at the snow, completely ignoring the obvious stares he was receiving from literally all age groups.

"K-Kei-chan!" I blurted out.

Shit! I stuttered! What a way to ruin your first impression, Chiaki!

He turned to look at me. I stared at his beautiful eyes in awe.

"Hello Chiaki. Good that at least you came," he said in a voice that clearly indicated how irritated he was by everyone walking out on him. Well, I guess I would be pretty pissed if someone pulled off this on me as well...

"O-of course! I wouldn't leave my Kei-chan hanging now, would I?" I said with a pout. He stared at me for a good few seconds, before cracking a smile.

Oh god that smile. I could see another first year fainting a few meters away.

I tried to keep my cool, but it took every ounce of my willpower to do so.

"Thank you," he said warmly. "Well, there's no point in cancelling the event, so we might as well enjoy ourselves now, right?"

"Yes!" I beamed, and he beckoned me to follow.

"I've already booked a table for two," he replied. "Let's go in, it's quite cold outside."

He held out his hand.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Wait, held out his hand?

W-w-wait, is he a-asking me to hold his hand!?

My brain went into overdrive. What was I supposed to do? I could feel threatening stares from strangers I had never met before in my life!

"Chiaki?"

I heard him call out my name, and he stared at me cluelessly, his hand still outstretched towards me. I gulped.

Mustering all the courage I ever could in one go, I slowly latched onto his hand.

Even with the gloves we were wearing, I could feel the heat of his body. I could feel the strong grip that he had on me, as though he didn't want to let me go. I internally screamed, and hoped that this moment would last forever.

"L-let's go," I managed to stutter, and he led me on into the posh diner. Even the waitresses were staring at him. This is so surreal!

"Right this way, sir, ma'am," the waitress clambered up to us, and she led us to our table. It was a good spot in the corner, overlooking the snowy streets outside. The warmth of the diner allowed me to take off my scarf.

We sat down opposite to each other.

Oh my god, everyone is staring at this table.

I kinda knew we were going to be the center of attention, but this is far too much from what I had expected. Like seriously, I have no idea how Kei-chan even deals with all of this. Do people always stare at him like this?

Plus, according to the newest rankings, Kei-chan is numero uno in the entire school. The results were a collection of votes across all school years, so the rankings were quite authentic.

Probably why everyone is staring at him so hard.

"What should we order?" he asked me nonchalantly, as he flipped through the menu. "I was thinking of something hot and spicy, like a sizzler maybe... what about you?"

"Hmm..." I stared at the menu as well. There are so many cuisines I can order from! Probably why this restaurant is so famous around here. It also explains the incredible price tag attached with each dish.

"I'll... I'll g-go with a sizzler as well," I spoke up, and Kei-chan merely hummed.

"Sure."

After placing our orders, we sat in silence on the table.

Oh no, why is it so quiet!?

Am I boring him? I mean, there were supposed to be 5 people here, so obviously Kei-chan doesn't know what to talk about! Maybe I should initiate the conversation? But what I come across as too forceful? Besides, Kei-chan doesn't think of this as a date, only I do. He thinks of this as an outing between friends!

Maybe I should ask him about his life before this school?

Now that I think about it, I don't know anything about Kei-chan.

Like, absolutely nothing. Zero. He never talks about his past, and I've never asked him either. He did tell me that he went to a very normal middle school once though...

"Hey, Kei-chan?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you have a sibling?"

Kei-chan scrunched up his eyebrows. "A sibling? Where did that come from?"

"I'm just curious!"

"Why don't you take a wild guess?"

How typical. He threw back my own question, and now I have no choice but to give some answer.

"I'd say yes. You look like the big brother type, for some reason."

He smiled a bit.

"Well, you got me there."

I widened my eyes.

"Wait, you have a sibling!?"

"An imouto."

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THAT BEFORE!?"

"You never asked, Chiaki," was his bored reply, and he stared outside at the snow. "It isn't that important now, is it?"

I stared at Kei-chan with slit-like eyes.

Seriously, if he's gonna keep hiding such important stuff from his best friend-soon-turning-girlfriend...

"What's she like?"

Kei-chan closed his eyes, as though deep in thought.

"How do I put this... she's annoying and a pain in the ass, but she's really cute."

"Wait, you don't have any other words to describe your imouto?"

"Nope."

Alright, this conversation is going nowhere. I don't think Kei-chan is gonna tell me anything more. I'll milk more information out of him a bit later, I guess.

"So, Kei-chan, how were your holidays?" I tried to be as natural as possible.

"Boring without you."

Poof! x2

My mouth opened up into a big 'O', and I blushed. Blushed incredibly hard.

How does he do that with such a straight face?!

I tried to speak out, but the words were caught in my throat.

"You know how eventful it's been right? It's not exactly private," he continued, and he stared at me.

I closed my mouth, and thought back to what he meant.

Of course. He was talking about the big news of the school at the moment — the headline on the school forum, which clearly said 'Keisuke Takeyama beats up Kakeru Ryuuen'.

But I don't understand. I know for a fact that Kei-chan wasn't the one who posted this message. Then who was it?

"I've been given some unnecessary attention here," he continued. "I didn't want this to escalate so far. Ryuuen and I had a deal, that we would keep this fight a secret from the rest of the grade. But it was exposed. Now that it has been exposed, Ryuuen has no incentive to form a collaboration with me in the future. I've lost a trump card."

I silently contemplated the situation.

In other words, as long as Kei-chan had this information captive, he could use it as leverage to either gain Ryuuen-kun's support, or use it as a weapon against him in the future. However, now that it has been exposed, it doesn't hold any value. Ryuuen-kun isn't scared of the leakage now.

But does that mean Ryuuen-kun himself was the one who posted this message?

Or was it someone else?

"You're thinking whether Ryuuen was the one who posted this or not, right?" he suddenly asked. I nodded. I'll never understand how Kei-chan always knows what the other person is thinking of.

"It's not Ryuuen," he replied decisively. "There's absolutely no point for Ryuuen to post this. Even if he believes that he can use it as a way to oust himself from helping me, it will still inevitably do him more harm than good. Drowning your reputation now to preserve whatever of it is left in the future? Ryuuen isn't that type of man."

"Then who is it?" I urged. "You definitely have some idea, right?"

He stared at me for a solid 5 seconds, before sighing. "No, I don't know. I'm not sure who it is."

I decided not to pursue the topic any further. He doesn't seem too comfortable talking about the details.

"Anyways, we're here to have fun, aren't we?" he said, and he leaned forward on the table. "Might as well do that instead."

That was so incredibly suggestive!

I gulped.

Yeah, we might as well have some fun...

"Umm Kei-chan... you were with... Sakayanagi-san 2 days before... right?" I asked nervously. I needed to know!

He narrowed his eyes. "Oh, that? We're childhood friends."

...

Huh?

Kei-chan and Sakayanagi-san... are childhood friends?

"Don't tell me you didn't know that?"

"Wait, how was I supposed to know that!?" I squealed indignantly. "You never told me!"

"Well, cat's out of the bag now," he said lazily. Our sizzlers arrived as well. "We're childhood friends. So we're quite close."

"That's what it's about..." I sighed in ease. Phew! So they weren't dating or anything. I don't even know what I would have done in that case.

"You jealous?"

I perked up at his question. He was staring at me devilishly, with a devious smile on his face.

Oh, I wanna punch that smug grin outta his face so bad...

"And why would I be jealous?" I fired back.

"I don't know, I was kidding," he said hastily. "Calm down, woman. Here, have a sizzler."

He poked his fork into my sizzler, and blew on it a bit.

He then shoved it into my mouth.

Poof! x3

Did K-Kei-chan... just feed me?

Oh my god he fed me with his fork!

HIS FORK!

I could feel my insides get all gooey and mushy from embarrassment and happiness. He just fed me!

"Chiaki? Let go of the fork please."

I blinked. I was still biting onto the fork, and Kei-chan was staring at me, waiting for me to let go of it.

"I'm so s-s-sorry!" I mumbled, after letting go of the fork. Oh my god, this is so embarrassing!

Kei-chan laughed it off. I stared at him, completely mesmerized.

Oh god I want him to tie me up and gag--

Stop!

NO!

No horni!

I smiled to myself. Instead of being horny, maybe I should just enjoy the time that I spend with him. Even if this isn't really a 'real date', it's still something.

The two of us continued our conversation for over 2 hours.

It would be an underestimation to say that this has been the best day of my life.

_

Chapter 65 - Playboy

( Takeyama POV )

My phone buzzed alive.

I was currently taking a leisurely stroll in the park outside the school building, a bit farther away from the dormitories. The December air was incredibly chilling, and the snow hadn't dialed down even a bit. In fact, it felt like there was almost a blizzard going on.

However, that was not enough to deter any of the students from enjoying their winter time, and most of them were chatting with their friends while wearing eskimo levels of clothing.

I was quite resistant to the cold, so a simple puffer-jacket, gloves and a scarf was enough to keep me warm.

"Not gonna pick up the call?"

I turned to look at Asahina Nazuna, who was staring at the phone in my pocket. "It's ringing, you know."

"I know. To pick up the call, I would have to take off my gloves. I'm not going to do that. I'll call them back once I head back to my room," I replied.

"Fair enough," Nazuna said, and she rubbed her hands together for warmth. "Wow, it's pretty cold this time... how are you even surviving with that skimpy-ass clothing?"

"I have good resistance."

"Aww, give me a better answer than that!" she said playfully, and she slapped my back. "You're trying to impress me by showing me that you've got good resistance, right? Don't worry, it's working! I'm already impressed!"

"I wasn't trying to do that. Besides, where did you even come from? I was supposed to be meeting Kiryuin-senpai now," I said.

Nazuna's eyes widened like golf balls.

"What!? You have a date with the Kiryuin Fuka!?"

"Not a date. We're friends."

"That's the first time I've heard Kiryuin-san have a friend," Nazuna answered. "She doesn't talk to anyone in her class 2-B, from what I've heard. How did you manage to talk to someone who doesn't even speak to anyone in her own class? You scored the big fish, Keisuke."

"There's nothing like that going on between us."

"Aww, bummer. But you're thinking about it, right?" she nudged me. "You do understand that Kiryuin-san is one of the most desirable women in our entire school?"

"Is she?" I asked obliviously.

"Yes she is! She's got a super-perfect body! Like have you even seen her during swimming classes? She's an absolute hottie. Perfect abs and butt. Perfect booba size as well! Plus she's got a really pretty face!"

"..."

"What?" Nazuna asked me innocently. "Did hearing all of that get you turned on?"

"I've got good self-control, thank you. But the way you described her was quite alluring."

Nazuna suddenly smiled a devil's smile.

"Hey, hey. What do you think about me, hmm?" she asked me. "You think I'm hot?"

"Are you sure that's what you're supposed to be asking your junior out of nowhere?" I asked exasperatedly.

"Well, I know you're not, but right now I'm curious," she said with a poker face. "I want to know. You think I'm hot?"

I scratched my head in annoyance. What am I supposed to say?

"... I don't think so, senpai."

Nazuna stared at me without any change in her expression.

"You're kidding me, right?" she looked at me with a disgusted expression. "You actually said that?"

"You're not hot. You're pretty," I completed my sentence. "Hot is a very subjective term. Besides, I don't like using it much to describe women. It feels off. I'm going to go with pretty and cute."

Even under all the winter clothing, I could see Nazuna turn bright pink at my comments.

"Oh!" she gasped involuntarily. "I-I-I see... thanks, I guess?"

"No problem."

It was my turn to tease her this time.

"Hey, senpai~~ maybe you shouldn't ask such questions to me if you can't handle the answer. You're red as a rose."

Nazuna punched me on my arm. "M-m-meanie! I can ask you whatever I like, thank you!"

"Senpai?"

"W-what?"

"You cut your hair, didn't you?"

Nazuna widened her eyes, and twiddled her fingers nervously in front of her. "You... y-you noticed?"

"I did. It's a bit hard to figure out, but I've seen you enough to notice it. It looks really pretty. Stunning, if I may."

I wasn't lying when I said that. Nazuna-senpai was a different kind of pretty, much more different than Chiaki, who gave off a sweet and mature air, or Sakayanagi in Class A, with her cute and ethereal doll-like stature.

She had a very beautiful face, with her chocolate-brown hair flowing down to her well-developed chest, a sight to behold. Her posture was straight and refined. If I had to rate her out of 10, it would be nothing less than a solid 8.

"T-t-thank you," she stuttered, awkwardly pushing a bit of her hair behind her ear. "Even Miyabi didn't notice... but you did..."

"Quick question — are you and Nagumo-senpai dating?"

"NOO!" she screamed loudly, almost as though she was afraid someone might be thinking that. "I would never date Miyabi! He's just a friend. Plus, he's not boyfriend material. Not in the least. I personally know it."

"I feel like you completely demolished Nagumo's reputation. If only he could have heard this..."

I decided to continue the relentless teasing.

"Say, senpai. What's your ideal boy type?"

Nazuna was turning redder and redder by the second. "My b-b-boy type?"

"Yeah, your boy type," I repeated blandly. "Are you into quiet, shy guys? Or the bad boy, delinquent types? Or maybe the popular, good-at-everything types?"

"N-no, I haven't really given it much thought," she replied, still obviously flustered. "I mean, I did have those small crushes back in middle school, the cool senpais, the delinquent type, maybe..."

She pointed at my piercings. "Maybe those... types..."

"So bad boys?"

"N-no, but there were the senpais who were good-at everything kinda ones... everybody liked them."

"So, the good-at-everything type popular boy is your type? That's too cliché."

"N-no, it's not that. That's not my type," she shook her head left and right adorably. "I... I d-don't know..."

"Is there no one you like in this school?"

For a second, she didn't seem to register the question. But when she did, Nazuna turned fifty shades of red, and stared at me with wide eyes.

"S-someone I like?"

"Yeah. There's gotta be someone in this school that you've fallen for, right?"

She pursed her lips, unable to come up with an answer. "I... I think... maybe, I might have fallen for someone..."

"Wait, really? Who is it?"

"I c-can't say it!" she squeaked. "It's private!"

"Second year?" I asked curiously.

"I, umm..." she visibly sweatdropped. "N-no..."

"Third year?"

"..."

"Wait, you're kidding? It's a first year?" I raised my eyebrows. "I thought girls don't usually go for the juniors..."

"But I didn't say anything!" she whimpered. "Why are you assuming things!?"

"Then how about you tell me whether I'm right or wrong?"

"W-well, you're r-right... no wait!" she facepalmed as she revealed herself. I smirked in victory.

"So it is a first year," I proclaimed. "Interesting. I wouldn't have guessed."

Nazuna looked like she wanted nothing more than to melt with the snow. "Ahh well, the first years this t-time are surprisingly... cool..."

"Never expected to hear that from a senior, but I'll take it," I said. "How about this — let's play 5 Questions. I gotta guess who it is before you guess mine. Deal?"

She looked at me with narrowed eyes.

"You'll tell me... who you like?"

"Yup. Only if you win."

Would Nazuna let go of such an opportunity?

"... I'm in," she declared meekly. "But since you know which year my crush is from, you need to tell me yours. It's unfair otherwise."

"Fair enough. Alright, it's a second year."

Nazuna's mouth dropped open wide. "W-wait, it's a second year!? N-n-not a first year cutie or something?"

Did she actually buy that?

"I'm into older women... maybe?" I whispered the last part uncertainly.

Now that I thought about it, I AM into older women. *cough* Chabs-sensei *cough*

Nazuna seemed to have found new determination in getting to know my imaginary crush. Well, if push came to shove, I knew what name I was going to throw out anyways.

"Alright, I'll go first," she said. "Is the girl from Class 2-A?"

"... yes." I could see Nazuna internally punching the air in glee.

"Right, my turn. Is the boy from Class 1-A?"

"NOPE."

"Huh."

She smirked at the headstart I had given her. I already had an idea as to who it was, so maybe I could just waste some time here...

"It's my turn now!" she squeaked. "Okie, do you personally know her, or do you just admire her from afar?"

"I can answer only questions with a yes/no," I replied.

"Aww, ok. Lemme rephrase that — do you personally know her?"

"... I do."

She raised her eyebrows, and I could see a tint of red-turning-maroon on her cheeks now. "You're really sneaky, Keisuke... you've been flirting with the entire girl population, huh?"

"What can I do? They approach me."

"You could turn them down!" she squealed.

"And why would I turn down someone who wants to talk to me?" I asked in an annoyed tone. "Besides, if it's someone as pretty as you, I welcome them with open arms."

Poof!

I could see the steam blow out from Nazuna-senpai's ears as I said this. Did I take the flirting a bit too far...? Should I dial down?

"Aww, senpai~~ you're so red... you really like getting compliments from me, don't cha?"

"B-b-b-b-baka!" she screamed out loud, and she whacked me on the back. "S-s-stop doing that!"

"Doing what?" I asked innocently.

"You... you know, being so suggestive!" Nazuna screamed for lack of better word. "You'll give everyone the wrong idea!"

"Hmm? And what wrong idea are we talking about, senpai~~"

Nazuna looked like she was ready to blast into a million pieces.

"You know very well!" she replied. "Ugh, why am I stuck with an irritating kouhai like you... Keisuke Baka-yama..."

"Say, senpai. You wanna know who I have a crush on in the second year?" I asked, making sure to add 'second year' for added effect.

Her ears immediately perked up, and she looked at me with puppy eyes. If she had a tail, it would be wagging really fast right now.

"Mhm," she said, nodding her head vigorously. It came out much cuter than I expected it to.

"Alright, promise you'll keep it a secret, senpai~~?"

"I promise!" she said, and she even held out her pinkie finger. I lightly grasped it, not wanting to leave her hanging.

I stopped walking, and so did Nazuna. She was breathing quite heavily; whether this was an effect of the cold or in anticipation of my answer, I wasn't quite sure.

I leaned in forward towards Nazuna's ear, and lightly brushed my lips against her ear for added effect. She immediately froze up, but managed to keep her cool.

"I..."

. . . . . . . . . . . .
"... like..."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
"... you, Nazuna-senpai~~"

I leaned back after dropping the bomb.

Detonating in five...

Four...

Three...

Two...

One...

... Nazuna did not move. She continued to stand frozen in one spot, her mouth wide open, and she stared forward into the air.

"Earth to senpai~~ ?"

I waved my hand in front of her face, and that's when she finally realized that she had been spacing out for over 10 seconds.

"Baka-yama..."

She murmured under her breath, and she pulled her scarf closer to her face. "Keisuke... Baka-yama..."

"What's up?"

"You really... like me...?"

"Of course I do," I said. "You're super cool and fun to be around... as a friend."

Nazuna widened her eyes again, and looked at me like she was going to kill me any moment.

"You idiot..." she said, as she clutched her hands together, and she punched my gut the hardest that evening.

I reeled back in pain. Even Ryuuen doesn't hit that hard.

"Bake-yama... don't do that again," she said slowly, and she folded her hands in front of her. "You're so dense... denser than osmium..."

"Aww senpai~~ come on, what were you even expecting?" I said, as I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to me. She flinched as I pulled her closer to me in a side-hug, but she didn't resist.

Instead, she leaned in a bit towards me, and fiddled with my pockets.

If someone were to notice us right now, it would be a serious misunderstanding...

"I don't really know," Nazuna said, as she rested her head on me. "But you shouldn't play with a girl's heart like this, Keisuke."

"But I'm a player. It's in my genes."

"Well then, I'm sorry, Mr. Playboy," Nazuna huffed. "You're never gonna get a girlfriend if you disappoint so many girls."

"You do realize this is coming from someone who almost fainted because I told them I liked her?"

"... touché, Baka-yama."

I slowed down a bit, and we made one full round around the school campus. I looked at the time. It's already been an hour since our meeting time.

"I don't think Kiryuin-senpai is gonna come today," I murmured. "Did she prank me...? I'm gonna have to talk to her, huh..."

"Hey!" Nazuna chopped me on my head. "You're not supposed to be thinking of other girls when you're out with a girl!"

"Doesn't that count only when you're dating?" I asked, genuinely perplexed.

"Umm, no, not r-really. I m-mean, yeah, but no..."

Looks like Nazuna short-circuited once again.

"It's fine, I won't talk about other girls, if that makes you happy," I dismissed her. "But hey, you don't get to talk much about other guys either, ok? Like Nagumo. You don't want me to become possessive now, do you, senpai~~"

"Hey, but I don't talk much about him!" she squeaked."Maybe I wouldn't mind you being more possessive of me..."

"What was that?"

"NOTHING!"

"Uh-huh. Besides, I'm a playboy, you see. I get to go out with several girls, but I'm not dating any of them. Pretty crazy, right?"

"You're the one who's crazy," she huffed. "Have you seen the new ikemen results?"

"Why do you have the ikemen results of the first years, senpai?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Not the first years, dummy. It's a cumulative chart," she explained. "An entire school ikemen list. All boys across school years are ranked."

"There's a chart for that as well?"

"Yup!" she beamed and spread her arms as though unveiling a brand new product. "And guess who's on top?"

"Haruki Yamauchi."

"Who?" Nazuna asked innocently.

"No one. Please don't mind me," I said passively. "Besides, I don't know who's on top. Must be a second or third year, right? I'll probably go with Manabu-senpai/Nagumo or someone."

"Manabu-senpai? Since when did you start calling the ex-President by his first name?" Nazuna raised an eyebrow.

"A few months, I guess. I'm on good terms with him."

"Right," Nazuna brushed it off. "And no, your answers are wrong. Lemme just show you."

Saying so, Nazuna whipped out her phone, and...

"Wait, why is there a hole in your glove?" I asked. There was a small hole on the right thumb finger of Nazuna's glove.

"It's for situations just like these," she replied, and pushed her thumb out of the hole. "I made it myself, so that I could use my phone while wearing gloves as well."

"Damn, ingenious..."

She ignored me, and proceeded to scroll through some random lists(?), and finally settled on the one named 'Ikemen - All'.

She pushed her phone on my nose, and I stumbled back. I snatched it from her hand.

"..."

"See?" she asked.

"Yeah."

1. Keisuke Takeyama (1-C)
2. Manabu Horikita (3-A)
3. Miyabi Nagumo (2-A) . .

"Strange..."

"Nothing's strange," Nazuna piped up. "You're number one in the entire school at the moment. You've got looks and smarts. You're the only first year in the top five."

"I'm flattered," I said nonchalantly, and I handed her phone back to her. "So you're basically saying that I'm the most wanted man in the grade?"

"Way to ruin the mood," she sulked. "But yes. You're the one person in the school anyone would date."

"Oh? Then how about we date, senpai~~"

Nazuna flushed a million hues of red. "S-S-Shut up, Baka-yama!"

"I'm joking."

_

A/N's:

Literally Nagatoro and Senpai but with Keisuke and Nazuna.

Bye-bye~~

_

Chapter 66 - Reveal 2.0

[ This chapter is extremely important. It sets everything for Part 2 of this series. It's also one of the longest chapters I've written in a while, so stay tuned till the end! ]

Word Count : 3927 words

_

( Takeyama POV )

After a rather interesting outing with Nazuna-senpai, I finally unwound in my room, and turned on the heater.

I whipped out my mobile phone to check who had called me right at the beginning.

"An unknown number..." I muttered to myself.

Well, it cannot be unknown, really. You cannot call anyone outside this school using this phone anyways. So it has to be someone inside the campus. Automated telecom calls usually don't happen inside school, so it has to be someone who actually wanted to talk to me.

I sighed, and called back on the same number. After a few rings, a voice picked up.

"Hello?"

"I received a call from this number around 20 minutes back."

"Oh, Keisuke-kun. It's wonderful to finally hear from you," a voice laced with maturity and poise said.

"May I know who I am speaking to?"

"Oh, yes. My apologies. This is Chairman Sakayanagi."

What the fuc--

I unconsciously sat up straight on my bed even though it was a voice call and not a video call.

"Mr. Chairman? I'm so sorry for not being able to attend your call earlier. I was outside, you see."

"No worries, dear boy. No worries at all," he said amiably from the other end. "We're all busy. How are you spending your time in this school?"

"It's wonderful, Mr. Chairman. I'm quite surprised at the sheer luxury provided to us students. I would like to say that I'm living the life."

"That's good to know. Say, is there a possibility that we could have a little chat face-to-face, young man?" he inquired. "It is quite an important matter, after all."

"Definitely, sir. Anytime works for me."

"Wonderful. What better time to do work than now? Are you free right now, Keisuke-kun?"

I glanced at the clock. It read 3:10pm. The sun would set around an hour later or so.

"I'm free, sir."

"Splendid! Then how about we meet at my office? Please come at your earliest convenience. I'll be waiting."

"It won't be long, sensei. I'm honored to receive a chance to speak with the Chairman personally."

"Just like Ayanokoji-sensei says, you're exceedingly well-behaved..." the Chairman muttered, but I caught it on the other end.

So this has something to do with that, huh?

I ended the call after exchanging quick goodbyes.

I put over the coat that I had been wearing just 5 minutes back, and left my room again, heading towards the Administration Department. It was just a 2 minute walk from the school building.

I shouldn't keep the Chairman waiting. I quickened my pace.

_

I was standing outside the Chairman's Room in just about 5 minutes. I braced myself, and crisply knocked on the door.

"Enter," a calm voice greeted me, and I turned the doorknob.

The room was close to what I had imagined it to look like. An executive desk right at the center, and several shelves and cabinets filled with various accolades and trophies. There were potted plants near the window sills. The room faced west, so the winter sun shone brightly into the room. Wooden flooring completed with a laminar finish.

All in all, a splendid piece of architecture.

My eyes fell on a man in his forties or fifties, with white hair and a calm, composed look on his face. His expression gave off a serene air of wisdom and knowledge.

"Good evening, Mr. Chairman. I hope I'm not bothering you."

"Not at all, Keisuke-kun," the Chairman replied with a smile. "Please, take a seat."

I obliged, and pulled out a comfy cushioned seat. I faced the Chairman from across the wooden table.

"You must be wondering why I've called you here, young man," the Chairman started. "But before the important things, let's unwind a bit, shall we? Tea or coffee?"

"... tea."

"Very well!" Saying so, the Chairman stood up and turned on his tea/coffee maker, after pouring in some water. He seems a lot more chill than I imagined him to be.

"You take sugar?"

"Just a bit," I replied. "It's something that usually depends on my mood, though."

"Well said," the Chairman replied. "I too, cannot pinpoint whether I like or dislike sugar in my drinks. But I can say for sure that after a long, hard day of work, any beverage works just fine."

The Chairman skillfully strained 2 mugs of tea, and placed one in front of me. I mumbled an audible thanks, and took a sip.

It's quite good.

"You must be wondering why I called you here, Keisuke-kun," he stated, as he took his seat opposite to mine. "But it is something that I've been wanting to tell you for a long time now. And when I realized that I had been delaying the inevitable for too long, I decided to finally come clean."

I nodded. "I don't quite understand, sir."

"Oh well. I would be quite vexed if you did," the Chairman sighed.

He suddenly stood up straight, as if he remembered something important.

"Say, Keisuke-kun. You're quite close to my daughter, aren't you?"

I choked a bit on my tea.

The Chairman let out a hearty laugh. "Ah, don't worry at all! In fact, I'm extremely delighted that my daughter has found a close friend in you. You see, as her father, I'm continuously worrying for her. Even though I'm the Chairman of this school, my heart and soul belong to my precious daughter."

"Of course, sensei. I'm quite close to Arisu. I'd like to call her a very good friend of mine."

"And I hope it stays that way," the Chairman added. "After all, Arisu enjoys your company. She's told me on quite a few occasions."

"I promise to take good care of her, Mr. Chairman."

"I know you will," he smiled. "Now, before I deviate from the point."

"Keisuke-kun, do you remember what happened on the Cruise Ship a few months ago? During the announcement of the Zodiac Special Exam for the first years?"

I narrowed my eyes, and thought back to the exact time he was referring to. "I do, sensei. What about it?"

"You see, Keisuke-kun, I've been quite biased in your favor ever since I first saw your name on the school's roster."

I took in the Chairman's words very carefully.

"I don't understand."

"Keisuke-kun, you do remember the rules of the Zodiac Exam conducted? The entire concept of the VIP and the Private Points?"

"I do."

"You were a part of the Snake Group in that Exam, am I correct?"

"I was, sensei." I could slowly formulate where this conversation was headed to.

"Then were you aware of the protocol that was followed to decide who is chosen as the VIP in each group, Keisuke-kun?" the Chairman asked me seriously.

Of course I remembered.

The VIP was chosen based on the surnames of the the students in that group. After arranging everyone's name alphabetically, the person who's name corresponded to the position of the Zodiac was made the VIP.

For example, Kei Karuizawa was chosen as the VIP of the Rabbit Group, the 4th sign in the Zodiac. If you arranged the surnames of everyone in the Rabbit Group in alphabetical order, then Karuizawa comes in 4th place. Hence, she was chosen as the VIP. The same rule applied to all groups.

"I remember cracking it during the Exam, sir," I replied truthfully.

"Very well then. That saves me a lot of explanation," the Chairman responded. "Then do you realize that you weren't supposed to be the VIP of the Snake Group, Keisuke-kun?"

I knew it.

[ For those who don't remember this part, refer back to Chapter 28 - Natural Genius ]

The reason I was chosen as the VIP of the Snake Group, even though my surname does not rank in 6th place according to the protocol followed.

"It's because I had a hand in it, Keisuke-kun," the Chairman confessed. "I chose you as the VIP of the Snake Group, even though the real VIP was supposed to Kito-kun, from Class A."

"Why?" I spoke up. "Why was I chosen as the VIP, even though I wasn't supposed to be? In addition, if the first names instead of the surnames of the members in the Snake Group were arranged in alphabetical order, then I am chosen as the VIP. Why is it so?"

"Why am I not surprised that you cracked the code..." the Chairman sighed. "It was to provide a possible explanation in the case that I come under scrutiny for my actions."

"You still did not answer my question, sir. Why was I chosen as the VIP?"

"Because your circumstances are different, Keisuke-kun," the Chairman said. "You're from one of the harshest institutions in the world. You are well known as 'The Experiment' of the White Room."

"I'm listening."

"When I came across Ayanokoji-kun's name and your name on the roster, I was flabbergasted," the Chairman continued. "I wondered, 'why are two of the most precious resources of the White Room joining ANHS'? The student who is regarded as the Masterpiece, and the student who is known to have shaped the entire batch of coming generations of the White Room.

That was when I received communication from your butler, Daisuke Amasawa. I was informed of your inner yearning for freedom, and your wish to experience the outside world," he said. "So I did my best to protect you from Ayanokoji-sensei, and to try and make your high school life as indulgent as possible. In simple words, I tried to give you the life you've been missing out on, Keisuke-kun."

I continued to listen silently.

"I tried to give you what you were missing out on. As a father myself, seeing a young boy like you have your childhood ripped away right before my eyes, it pained me. You were subjected to intense training and inhumane drug tests. So I wanted to do my part, even if it is just a speck compared to what you've been through."

"... you're telling me you chose me as the VIP of the Snake Group because you wanted to give me Private Points?"

"That is correct," the Chairman confirmed. "I can understand you might not be happy knowing this, Keisuke-kun. But trust me, I did this because you deserved it. Special circumstances require special rules."

"Couldn't you have just transferred Private Points into my account?" I asked curiously. "Why did you have to do it in such a roundabout fashion?"

"Because it would become too conspicuous in that case," he replied. "Point transfers are recorded intricately. In the case that I am caught doing this, I shall be quite surely stripped of my position. However, by doing the same through a Special Exam, I have made sure that you receive your Private Points without me having to interfere in the proceedings."

"... I see. But you surely knew that there was a chance I wouldn't receive the one million points?" I asked suddenly. "In the case that a traitor had surfaced in our group and discovered my true identity, I would have lost out on a million points."

"But did you?" the Chairman rebutted. "I know for a fact that your abilities are far more advanced than a high schooler, Keisuke-kun. I knew you would receive the one million points. I had no doubt about it."

Touché.

I silently contemplated the situation.

Now that I thought about it, I've been the center of quite a few proceedings in this school, whether directly or indirectly.

Firstly, the Island Exam, our first-ever Special Exam. During that exam, I had made Horikita the Leader of our camp, even though the entire class thought it was me. I had purchased 2 keycards from the teachers; a real one with Horikita's name on it, and a fake one with my name on it.

But now that I think about it, was that really possible?

Is it really possible for a student to receive 2 keycards, even if they bribe the teacher with Private Points? Isn't it against the rules of the exam itself? After all, each class can receive only one keycard.

Then does that mean Chairman Sakayanagi had a hand behind that as well? Did he purposely allow the present Class C or, in particular, me, to access 2 keycards to maximize my chances of victory?

"Sensei, just for personal curiosity, is it possible for a class to use 2 keycards? I'm talking with reference to the Island Survival Exam in mind."

The Chairman merely let out a smile. "You've caught me, have you, Keisuke-kun? It isn't allowed. Having 2 keycards per class is completely and brazenly against the rules. However, I made an exception in your case."

"This definitely irks me a bit, Mr. Chairman. It feels like I haven't been battling the other classes with my own abilities. If I have the support of someone as strong as the Chairman himself, then I doubt other classes will be able to match up to me."

"I understand, young boy. But it had to be done. I couldn't allow a mere child like you be controlled and used as a puppet by a man like Ayanokoji-sensei."

"Just another question, Mr. Chairman."

"Shoot."

"Why didn't you help Kiyotaka? Isn't he from the White Room as well? Why did you single me out as the only person from the grade, when Kiyotaka's circumstances are similar to mine?"

The Chairman stared at me for a few seconds, before sighing.

"I have already thought of an answer to this particular question," the Chairman responded. "Keisuke-kun, are you aware of the fact that Ayanokoji-sensei visited this school about two weeks back?"

"I am."

"The reason I cannot openly support Kiyotaka-kun is because he is, simply put, Ayanokoji-sensei's son," he said. "Ayanokoji-sensei wishes only for Kiyotaka's return to the White Room. He is not too bent on getting you back. He sees it as an additional bonus. In other words, me helping Kiyotaka during his time here would inevitably mean that I'm going against Ayanokoji-sensei's wishes. And trust me, you don't want to be on his bad side."

"So you're telling me that you did not help Kiyotaka because you were afraid of the backlash you would receive from Kiyotaka's father?"

"You made it sound like I'm a coward, but yes," the Chairman responded with a sad smile. "I did not openly help Kiyotaka because of this reason. However, this is also the reason both you and Kiyotaka were placed in Class D, even though the two of you must be placed in Class A. It was so that I could monitor you without raising suspicion."

"What does that have anything to do with which Class we're in?" I asked.

"My daughter is in Class A, Keisuke-kun. In the case I'm found out, then I'll be held for guiding my daughter and probably charged for purposely placing her in Class A."

"I see..."

I fell into deep thought. Things were slowly starting to make sense.

"Sensei, do you know Ryuuen Kakeru, from Class D?"

"Ryuuen Kakeru? I might be able to match name and face," Mr. Sakayanagi said thoughtfully. "Is something the matter?"

"Two days ago, Ryuuen Kakeru's expulsion letter to the school was forcibly revoked. I've never heard of something like that happening before," I said. "Tell me honestly, sensei. Were you the one who revoked his expulsion?"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
"Yes."

The silence was deafening.

"Why?"

"Because of the reason I'm going to tell you right now," the Chairman said. "I was forced to shoot down Ryuuen Kakeru's expulsion. I have no authority to stop a student from leaving the school if they want to. However, I was forced to declare Ryuuen-kun's letter null-and-void.

This is all Ayanokoji-sensei's influence, Keisuke-kun," the Chairman said gravely. "Ayanokoji-sensei holds incredibly high stakes in the government, and in tandem, the administration of this school. He might not be a part of the board of members, but he has enough authority outside it to influence its decisions. I was forced to revoke Ryuuen's expulsion, because in a few weeks, I might be sacked as the Chairman."

I widened my eyes.

"Sacked... as the Chairman?"

"You heard that right," he replied. "If I had allowed Ryuuen-kun to leave school, then I would have inevitably made you a target for expulsion as well. An Acting Director will be arriving once I'm removed. Besides, Ryuuen-kun is currently an incredibly valuable resource for this school."

"A valuable resource?"

"An incredible change is going to happen soon, Keisuke-kun," the Chairman said. "Something that will change the entire way the school has been working. Everything will be distorted."

"And Ryuuen is involved in this?"

"Not just Ryuuen-kun. There are 4 students involved in this. They are Sakayanagi Arisu, Ichinose Honami, Ryuuen Kakeru, and finally you yourself, Takeyama Keisuke. Things will not be the same in Advanced Nurturing High School anymore."

"I don't understand, sensei. I seriously don't understand."

Just then, a knock on the door.

"Enter," the Chairman said from his chair. I turned around to look at the visitors.

From the doorway, a petite young girl with lilac hair and a cane entered, followed by an enchanting girl with strawberry-blonde hair. And finally, a man with fierce shoulder-length magenta hair, and band-aid across his face from the time I pummeled him on the rooftop.

Ryuuen scoffed. "Oh? You're here as well?"

"Wasn't expecting this gathering," I said nonchalantly, as I eyed each of them individually.

"Papa, is something the matter?" Arisu asked gently, and she made sure to sit as close to me as possible. Ichinose-san and Ryuuen took their seats to my right and left respectively as well.

We were currently in front of the Chairman, so everyone, including Ryuuen, knew that they had to be respectful.

"There is in fact, Arisu," the Chairman said gravely. "Takeyama-kun already has a gist of it, so I believe I can skip straight to the point."

No one had any objections.

"Right. As of today, 24th of December, the four of you shall be barred from participating in any of the Special Exams scheduled for the first years for the rest of this academic year."

All of us narrowed our eyes.

Barred from participating in Special Exams?

But why?

"I... I don't understand, Mr. Chairman," Ichinose-san was the first one to speak up. "Did we do something against the school rules without our knowledge?"

"Nothing like that, young girl," the Chairman replied. "These are orders from higher-ups, directly from the Board of Directors. From today, until the end of the academic year, you shall not be allowed to participate in any Special Exams whatsoever."

"But how will that work?" Ryuuen spoke up. "Special Exams require the complete cooperation of the class. If we're not allowed to take part in the exams, what are we supposed to do in the class?"

"You shall not be a part of your class anymore," the Chairman said.

"A new experimental class, Class S, shall be established."

The revelation hit us like a brick on the face.

Ryuuen looked like he was going to blast into a million pieces, Arisu for the first time, had a confused look on her face, and Ichinose blankly stared at the Chairman.

I too, couldn't speak up for a while.

"B-But Papa, there must be a reason as to why this is being done, right?" Arisu finally managed to break the silence. "Surely we shall be told?"

"Of course. You see, the four of you are the figureheads of your respective classes. You're all Class Leaders. This experiment is to mainly assess the situation of each class when their driving force, or in simple words, their Leader is removed from the mix."

"But what's the point of all this? Surely there is something that draws out such a strange situation?" I asked.

"Oh well. Are you younglings aware of the Entrance Examinations that ANHS conducts every year around this time?" Mr. Sakayanagi asked us.

"Of course. The Entrance Examinations last year were held in the last week of November," Ichinose-san replied. "Since it's already December 24th, the results must be out already."

"Indeed. The results are out. And I would not be exaggerating if I said that there are some brilliant students in the following year," the Chairman replied. "Incredibly talented students. Students who might rank even above Class A."

"Above A..." Ryuuen let out a low whistle.

"And of course, students who rank above Class A would be done injustice if placed in Class A," the Chairman continued. "Hence, this new system will be implemented. It will be first tried out on the existing batch of first years. Second years and Third years shall be exempted from this because they don't have much time left in this school anyways. However, you've all just begun."

"So Papa, you're telling us that from today, we're no longer in our own Class , but we're a part of Class S?" Arisu asks slowly.

"That is correct. The official transfer has not been finalized yet, but it is already as good as done. When your winter break ends, the four of you shall be moved to Class S. Class S for the rest of the academic year will not be allowed to participate in any Special Exams."

"What about Class Points? How would that be decided?"

"Class S will receive exactly the average of the number of Class Points that the other four classes will end the year on," the Chairman confirmed. "Remember, you are now a part of Class S. You have no allegiance to your previous class anymore. So it would be wise to not get involved in any of the Special Exams now."

"But that would seem a bit counter-intuitive," I replied. "In fact, I would be inclined to help a certain class. After all, since we'll be getting Class Points based on the average of all the other classes, our only goal for the rest of the first year is to make sure that all the other classes get a fair share of class points, so that the overall average increases."

"Again, this is all when put into perspective. In the end, it is your choice," the Chairman replied. "The four of you shall start your new session on the same day as the others. The announcement for the same will be made to the rest of the student body very soon, once everything has been finalized."

"Does that mean from next year, the new first years will already have a Class 1-S?" Ryuuen asked.

"That is correct. Class 1-S will be established as a new class from this year onwards. You all are being put into Class S so that the school can iron out fine details and rate the system of working."

"I'm still a bit confused as to why this is necessary, though," Ichinose-san asked nervously.

"You don't have to worry, Ichinose-san. Everything will be cleared out soon enough. Believe me when I say it, I would have told you everything if I knew everything," the Chairman replied with a soft smile. "But as of now, this is the information I can divulge."

The four of us stayed silent.

The others must be thinking why something like this was implemented.

But from my earlier conversation with Mr. Sakayanagi, I have already deduced the reason.

This is all Ayanokoji-sensei's doing.

He's been pulling the Chairman's strings all along. After all, if this Class S is a class of incredibly meritorious students, then Kiyotaka should also be a part of it, right?

But no. He's not a part of this Class. He's still in Class C.

In other words, this plan has only one objective.

To separate Kiyotaka and I. This entire concept of Class S was formed so that Kiyotaka and I could be separated. However, to make it seem a bit more natural, it is being implemented with the new first years as well.

But why? Isn't this method too drastic? The entire structure of the school is being changed, just for us?

Is it because Ayanokoji-sensei realizes that he cannot beat the 2 of us working together?

Or is it something else entirely?

I had no way of knowing anything.

However, there is one thing that I can definitely confirm from this conversation today.

Things were going to get quite fucked up next week.

_

Chapter 67 - The Beginning of the End

( Takeyama POV )

"Takeyama."

I turned around to see Ryuuen beckon to me. He was standing beside Ichinose Honami and Sakayanagi Arisu. I approached the trio silently.

"What's up?"

"Don't what's up me, asshole," Ryuuen replied. "You know very well what's up. You were with the Chairman for much longer than we were. What the hell did you talk about in the beginning?"

"Man City vs Aston Villa."

"Don't shit with me," Ryuuen threatened.

"Takeyama-kun, if it is something that is related to the situation at hand, then please do tell us," Ichinose pleaded to me. "This is really a strange decision, and I cannot come to terms with it. Please don't hide anything from us. Our future is at stake here."

"I'm not hiding anything," I replied. "The Chairman called me earlier because I'm close to him. Arisu can confirm."

Arisu Sakayanagi nodded with a small smile on her face. "It is true. Keisuke and I have been close friends since we were children, so he is inevitably close to Papa."

"Hmm? You and Sakayanagi-san are childhood friends?" Ichinose-san asked cutely. "I see. Sorry if I made you uncomfortable then, Takeyama-kun!" She bowed deeply in my direction.

"Please don't. Given the current situation, I wouldn't be surprised if the four of us are confuzzled," I replied. "I don't think it is wise for us to relay this information to our classes yet. We need to keep this under wraps until it has been officially confirmed."

"There's no point in telling the losers in class about this anyways," Ryuuen scoffed. "Not like they're gonna help. All the other classes are gonna go to shit without us."

It was half-true. If the four leaders of each class depart, then there will be mass confusion within the class. It might not be much in case of Class A, since Katsuragi will probably take the place. Class B is united as one front, so they would find a way to get through it as well. Kanzaki would most probably take Ichinose's place as Class Leader. Even my class, Class C will not face much of an issue. I'm assuming Horikita will take center-stage now, with support from Kiyotaka in the background.

The class that really has stuff to work out will be Ryuuen's class, Class D. As far as I know, there's no back-up leader of any sort in their class. It wouldn't be surprising if their entire class goes into shambles now.

I still had only half of the pieces of this puzzle.

What is the point of all this? If the goal is to separate me and Kiyotaka, then it has been achieved. But what comes after this? What happens after we're separated into different classes?

If Ayanokoji-sensei's goal is to pit the 2 of us against each other in competition, it's not going to work. I'm sure we can come to a compromise and make sure that we don't end up harming each other much. There's only so much one can do in Class battles anyways.

There has to be a catch that I'm not aware of yet. Otherwise this set-up has no meaning. Take all the leaders of each class, dump them in another class, and just sit back and watch what happens?

No, that's not possible. There's something I'm missing. And I cannot be sure of what it is until the start of the session next week.

"I think we should discuss matters on this soon," Ichinose proposed. "We need to understand where we're going to go from here. Considering we are not allowed to participate in any Special Exams for the rest of the year, we need to follow Takeyama-kun's heed — to go ahead and pool all our strengths towards one class, so that we can increase the average class points by the end of the year."

"That depends on the Special Exam, doesn't it? We cannot formulate a strategy beforehand," Arisu piped in. "If the event is something like the Island Exam, where all classes have a chance to gain points, then it is wise to help all classes, as that would increase the average more significantly. And in case the Special Exam is something like the recent Paper Shuffle, where one class gains points and the other loses points, there is no need to help. Because the average at the end will remain the same."

Arisu had made her point clear. Help only if it benefits you. To be honest, that is what I would have done as well.

"It's still weird..." Ichinose said meekly. "I don't want to turn against all my friends in Class B..."

"You don't have a choice," Ryuuen spat out. "We're all in a fix here. Everything that we've done for our class has gone to waste. We're literally starting fresh."

"Say, we're hitting January in a few days, right? What's the current average class points?" I suddenly asked.

"The current average..."

I did some quick calculations in my head.

Class A - 974 CP
Class B - 653 CP
Class C - 533 CP
Class D - 292 CP

Total - 2452 CP
Average - (2452/4) = 613 CP

"613 Class Points..." I muttered. It seems everyone had reached the same answer.

"In other words, we're currently placed in between Class B and C," Arisu said. "We'll receive 61,300 Private Points next month."

So we're currently third in ranking of class points. In other words, we're currently Class C.

The New Class Rankings:
1. Class A - Led by Katsuragi?
2. Class B - Led by Kanzaki?
3. Class C - The Experimental Class
4. Class D - Led by Horikita?
5. Class S - Led by ...? (Previously Ryuuen's Class)

"This is only for the months left in our first year," Ichinose-san added. "Once we become a full-fledged class and are allowed to take part in Special Exams, our rankings will change as well."

"Class S is lowest in the hierarchy," Ryuuen spoke up. "Lower than even Class Defect. So if we overtake some class next year, the class right at the end of the race will become Class S, right?"

"That makes most sense," I replied. "The structure of points after all, remains the same. It's not like that has changed. If we cross Class A, we'll become Class A. There's nothing strange in that."

In other words, the worst class was now Class S, not Class D. However, since this class would actually consist of just 4 top honor students from across the year, it would be quite a roller-coaster ride.

"Tch," Ryuuen clicked his tongue in annoyance. "And here I was looking forward to having a rematch with you, Takeyama. We ended up in the same class now."

"So let's celebrate, I guess?" I said cheekily. "Might as well do, since we're all going to be allies now. All the friends we've made so far, they're now nothing more than our enemies."

Ichinose involuntarily shivered as I made that comment. Ryuuen and Arisu did not even flinch.

"I don't think there is anything left for us to talk about, given the limited information that we possess," Arisu stated. "It's best to wait until the situation is a bit more dilute, and then take whatever action we need to take."

Ryuuen let out a snort, while Ichinose and I nodded.

"Then let's meet up later," I proposed. "If we receive any new information later, we'll all know. And then we can talk."

After the brief meeting, we disbanded and headed towards the dormitories. I, however, wanted to do a bit more snooping on this matter, so I headed directly to the school building.

I reached the school building quite fast, and walked up the stairs to the Teacher's Lounge. She might not be here, but it's still worth a try.

I knocked on the door. A few seconds later, it was opened by none other than Chabashira-sensei herself. She was dressed in a professional black suit, with a pencil skirt and black stockings. I couldn't help but admire her beauty.

"Takeyama?"

"Do you have time to talk, sensei?"

Chabashira-sensei nodded, and she let me into the Lounge. I walked in. It was quite well furnished, and even had a liquor stand in one corner.

I didn't know there was stuff like that inside the school building...

"Chie got those here, if you're wondering," Chabashira-sensei ushered me in. "And no, it's not against the rules. As long as you don't drink in front of students, it's allowed."

"I didn't ask, but that was interesting," I replied. "What're you doing here anyways? I came here armed with the fact that I would probably not find you here. Do you live in the school building or something? It's Christmas holidays."

"I came here to retrieve a few files," she replied crisply. "You caught me at a good time. A few minutes late, and you would have missed me."

"Oh, I always miss you, sensei~~"

Chabashira-sensei cast me a curious glance, and she took her seat, completely ignoring my flirting.

"Surely you have something you came here to ask?"

"Of course. I was wondering if you were single or not."

Chabashira-sensei scoffed.

"I'm kidding," I sighed. "I'm not sure how I'm going to explain this to you, but as my homeroom teacher, I think you ought to know. Considering that we're quite close."

"Get to the point."

"Class S."

Chabashira-sensei widened her eyes, and stayed frozen in one spot. After a few seconds, she released a long breath she had been holding, and massaged her temples feverishly.

"So it really is happening..."

"You knew about it, huh?"

"I did," sensei replied. "However, nothing was finalized then. After a point, all of us faculty teachers, including Sakagami, Chie and Mashima, kinda didn't pay much attention to it. We thought it must be a hoax. Something so serious has never happened before. But if I had to tell you the truth, Takeyama, all of us were scared."

"Scared?"

"We were scared of what would happen to our classes if the Leaders are suddenly removed without a second thought," Chabashira-sensei said, still clearly shaken. "Especially my class. This is the first time that Class D has been promoted to Class C within the first year, and has reached so dangerously close to overtaking Class B as well."

"I'm afraid I cannot help now, sensei. If this is something the Board itself has decided, I don't know how I'm supposed to resist."

"It's alright. You had no say here, and you're not responsible," Chabs-sensei replied. "But it does come as a shocker. We've had brilliant students before as well. I don't understand why we need a separate Class for them. Take the current second or third years as example. There's the student council president Nagumo, and ex-president Horikita. All exceptionally bright and brilliant."

"Sensei, you do understand why this is happening, don't you?"

Chabashira-sensei remained quiet. She stared at me for a while, before speaking again.

"Is it... for you?" Chabashira-sensei asked hesitantly.

"Probably," I said. "You do know that Kiyotaka and I don't have the brightest past, right?"

"That..." Chabashira-sensei fell quiet as I said this. She seemed to thinking about what I had said.

"I don't expect you to know anything more," I said, sparing the awkward tension. "All you need to know is that this entire system has probably been designed with a goal in mind. Something that involves the two of us."

"..."

"I cannot help Class C anymore," I said decisively. "If I'm a part of a different class now, I have no obligation to help."

"I... I u-understand," Chabs-sensei stuttered. "You don't have a choice."

"Indeed. I don't have a choice. But something still bothers me."

"And that is?"

"Who's going to be our homeroom teacher? I hope she's pretty like you."

"That's what you're worried about?" Chabashira-sensei asked me, utterly disappointed. "Why am I not surprised..."

"Because you love me?" I replied cheekily. Chabs-sensei pretended to puke.

"What? There's nothing else to be worried about now anyways," I replied nonchalantly. "Besides, if the teacher's not my type, or is a dude, then you're always here for me, aren't you sensei~~"

"So I'm your back-up plan?" Chabashira-sensei scoffed.

"Did I just sense regret in your tone? What, wanna be a part of the main plan?"

"If you were anybody else Takeyama, I would have had enough evidence to expel you right now," Chabashira-sensei sighed. "If there's nothing else you have to ask or say, I'd recommend you leave."

"You're so mean, sensei. I wanna stay. There's nothing to do in the dorm anyways."

"And there's something you can do here?"

"Come on. This might be the last time I'm a part of Class C," I said, and I plopped myself down next to Chabashira-sensei on the sofa. "So might as well spend some time with my teacher, right?"

"..."

_

A/N's:

This story is inching towards its end. There are only 3-4 chapters more, and then it's done for good. I'll be resuming the second part a bit later.

Chabs-sensei one-shot for a later chapter tho :)

Bye-bye~~

_

Chapter 68 - The End of the Beginning

( Horikita Suzune POV )

A new year was finally upon us, and so was the last term of our first year at ANHS. Even though we were sorted into Class D in the beginning, our class has made tremendous progress, and we've even eclipsed Class C in terms of Class Points. We're currently at 533 Class Points, which is massive increase from the measly 70 at the start of the year.

After walking into class, and a few students wishing me a happy new year, I made it to my desk, right at the back, next to Ayanokoji-kun's desk. He had already arrived, and he was talking with Akito Miyake. It seems that he has become a part of a friend group.

I sighed. Even though I now understand the importance of allies, it still is hard for someone who's been alone for her entire life to suddenly become a social butterfly. I wouldn't say I'm completely alone. I have made a few friends, but it wasn't anything to brag about.

I scanned the classroom after I took my seat. Most of the class had already arrived, but my eyes searched for a single person.

Takeyama Keisuke wasn't in class yet.

"Strange, he's usually early..."

Attributing the tardiness to new year blues, I comfortably seated myself, and pulled out a book I had borrowed from the library a few days back.

'The Confession', by John Grisham. An exceedingly popular book among the bookworms of the school, I had finally managed to get my hands onto it after a tedious wait.

I smiled to myself, and finally engrossed myself in the book.

A few minutes passed, and the bell signaled the start of the first class of the new year. I looked up from my book. Takeyama-kun still hadn't come into class, and a few students were already staring at his empty desk. He's never been absent or late to class, not even once.

"Ano~~ Chiaki-chan, do you know why Takeyama-kun hasn't come yet?" Kushida-san asked the brunette. She shook her head.

"No... Kei-chan didn't tell me anything. I'm sure he'll be here soon," Matsushita-san replied, but even I could sense the discomfort and doubt in her mind.

I turned to look at my neighbor. Ayanokoji-kun too was staring at the empty desk in front of him with an unreadable expression on his face. Did he not know either?

Just then, Chabashira-sensei walked into the class, the pointy clack of her heels echoing in the class. She stood on the podium, surveying the class thoroughly, before speaking.

"It seems that the class knows how to behave themselves now," she said. "You're all much more befitting of the rank 'Class C' now."

"Now, I have an announcement to make," she said, and she took a pause.

Hirata-kun, however, raised his hand, catching the attention of everyone in class.

"Yes, Hirata?"

"Could we possibly delay the announcement for a bit, sensei? You see, Keisuke hasn't arrived yet, so it would be better if he were here to listen to the announcement as well," he said. Solid reasoning.

Chabashira-sensei, however, did not crack a smile.

"If he's late, Hirata, I don't see why I should wait for him. I have a schedule to follow, and it would be disastrous if I were to fall behind it. If he misses out on the announcement, then it is his loss, isn't it?"

Solid reasoning again.

Hirata fumbled a bit with his words. "I understand, sensei. I'm sorry for taking your time."

"Don't be. Besides, this announcement has something to do with Takeyama after all."

The class was initially surprised by this revelation. I too, was baffled.

"Wait, what announcement is this? This is getting kinda scary," Kei Karuizawa said softly from the first bench. Chabashira-sensei grimaced.

"Listen up carefully."

She stood up straight.

"From today onwards, Keisuke Takeyama is no more a part of Class C."

A pin drop silence. I stared at the teacher, unable to comprehend what I had just heard.

"C-come again?" Hirata gathered the courage to break the silence. "I think we misheard you, sensei."

"You didn't," Chabashira-sensei replied. "From today onwards, Keisuke Takeyama is no longer a part of Class C. He has been shifted to the experimental Class S, along with Ryuuen Kakeru, Ichinose Honami and Sakayanagi Arisu."

"Wait, wait!" Matsushita-san screamed. "Kei-chan didn't tell me anything about this!? What the hell?!"

"Sensei, if this your idea of a joke, it actually isn't funny," Sudo-kun spoke up to my right. "Takeyama is our Class Leader. We've reached this far all because of him. And now you're telling us that he's not a part of our class anymore?"

"Unfortunately, it's true. Why would I lie about something this serious?" Chabashira-sensei furrowed her eyebrows, and sighed. "I'm as confused as you are. For your information, there will be a seminar at the school auditorium, where Chairman Sakayanagi will go through the details, reasons and modifications that the school will undergo post this shift. Takeyama is currently in the Chairman's Office along with the other students, filling out official forms regarding the class transfer."

"B-but sensei, this is absolutely outrageous!" Hirata spoke up, and you could even sense the anger in his tone. He wasn't trying to hide it. "We've been together for almost an entire year! Keisuke has been the driving force for our class's revival! Why did the school take such a decision in the first place!?"

A few students shuddered at the sight of an angry Hirata. I kept to myself, still unable to come to terms with this preposterous arrangement.

"I'm afraid I don't have the answers to your questions, Hirata. If you have any queries, don't hesitate to ask the Chairman during the seminar. He'll definitely welcome questions."

And like that, Hirata was shut down almost instantly.

I pursed my lips. My mind went blank as I tried to form the questions. I had a million questions in my head. Why? How? But I just couldn't form a meaningful question.

Keisuke Takeyama was my first friend.

He was the person who showed me the importance of having friends.

He was the person who pointed out my vital flaws, and strived to help me fix them.

He was the person who mended my strained relationship with my elder brother.

I thought back to the times when he would just crash by my room for no reason, and ask for a drink like he owned the place.

I thought back to the countless times Keisuke saved me from disastrous situations involving Ryuuen or Kushida.

Is this how it's going to end?

Is this how the person, who has had the greatest influence on me in a single year, leave me?

Will I lose my one and only true friend?

I grit my teeth. My closest friend... is going to become my enemy?

"Suzune?"

I opened my eyes, and looked towards Sudo-kun, who had called out to me.

"Suzune, you're... squeezing your pouch too hard," he said, staring at my hand. "There's a compass inside, you know? You might get hurt."

I looked back at the table. I indeed was squeezing my pouch. I laughed to myself.

This was the same compass that I used to stab Keisuke with.

And now it has decided to come after me.

"I know this is a tough decision, but we've gotta deal with it," Akito said half-heartedly, trying to calm the class down. "It's not like we could have done anything about it. If it's a school decision, then we can't change it."

"Miyacchi, I know you're the calm type and all, but this is serious," Haruka Hasebe said. "Not only is he leaving our class, Takeyama-kun's going to be in a separate class with Ryuuen, Sakayanagi and Ichinose? If you ask me, we're truly and completely fucked."

Suddenly, the door to the classroom opened, and he walked in.

The class held its breath as Takeyama himself walked up to the podium. Chabashira-sensei moved off from the stage, giving the young man space to speak.

He stood in front of the class, and remained silent for a few moments.

"So you've all heard, haven't you?"

The class did not respond. Hirata and Matsushita looked like they wanted to say something, but they kept silent.

"It is true," he said, without batting an eyelid. "I'm being transferred to Class S. It's been a wonderful year I've spend with all of you guys. And I'm truly grateful that I got to be a part of this class, and lead it as well. I have memories here, but it must come to an end. All good things come to an end. So I'm here to say goodbye."

The silence was deafening. A few students wondered whether that was a declaration of war.

"Kei-chan, you're n-not being serious now, are you?" Matsushita-san asked with fear laced in her tone.

"I'm not joking, Chiaki," Takeyama sighed. "We're going to be in different classes now. It's not the same anymore. I've loved each and every moment I spent with you guys in this class. But reality is different. Acting as though we're not enemies now is only wishful thinking."

He paused a bit, choosing his next words carefully.

"I'll be frank. You guys are in Class C now. I'm going to be in Class S. In the end, the class that becomes Class A will be guaranteed their future. I hope I've got my point across."

"But Keisuke, this is... this is too s-sudden," Hirata interjected, unable to keep his composure. "Is there no way to revoke this decision? Or maybe you could just disagree..."

"I've tried, Yosuke," Takeyama-kun said, while staring into the table. "I've already spoken to the Chairman, and I've had one-on-one's with the Principal as well. This decision has come from the higher ups. Believe me when I say it, I tried. I tried my hardest to stay in this class. But it didn't work out in the end."

"But you're our Leader, Takeyama-kun!" Sato spoke up from her seat. "We've reached this far all because of you! You're the reason we're now Class C and not Class D!"

"What do you want me to do then, Sato-san?"

Silence. Sato pursed her lips, unable to come back with a valid response.

"I understand, but there's no going back now," he said firmly. "I've come here to say my last goodbye to this class. Ryuuen, Ichinose and Sakayanagi are probably doing the same in their classes. In five minutes, we'll be escorted to our new class. But hey, it's not that big of a deal, is it? We might be in different classes, but that doesn't mean we aren't friends. We all have friends from other classes, right?"

"We understand, but that's... that's not the same thing," Inogashira-san, who usually stays quiet during class matters, said. "You've helped us so much, Takeyama-kun... we were even partners during the Paper Shuffle Exam, and it's because of you that I was able to do my best...it's just that... I'll feel guilty if we go up against you, right?"

Inogashira-san, the one girl who never speaks up in class, spoke up for the first time. Takeyama-kun twisted his lips into a frown, but he didn't say anything.

The silence was incredibly unnerving.

"I don't think we should pressure Takeyama like this," Akito spoke up. "He didn't have a say in this. This isn't his fault, right? So why are we unnecessarily antagonizing him?"

Akito-kun took a firm stance for Takeyama-kun. Chabashira-sensei was watching from the sidelines, without uttering a single word. Did she not care either...?

I glanced to my left. Ayanokoji-kun was staring down at his desk, deep in thought. Even if it was the slightest change in expression, I could see it in his face.

A hint of surprise, or maybe anger?

"Also, before I forget. You guys are only tentatively Class C," Chabashira-sensei suddenly spoke from the corner of the class.

"Huh!? Tentative?!" Yamauchi-kun screamed. "But why? We got here fair and square!"

"You did. But there is a new class now," Chabashira-sensei replied. "Class S is below even Class D in ranking. In other words, the worst class now is Class S, not Class D. But that is only in name. Class S, in the years going forward, will consist of only 4 to 5 students per batch, with incredibly high overall abilities. In other words, you guys are still the worst class. It's just that your name has now changed."

"Sensei."

I raised my hand for the first time. Takeyama eyed me with an expressionless face.

"How will the class points be decided?"

"Average of the class points of all the other classes at the beginning," Chabashira-sensei replied. "In other words, right now, Class S has 613 Class Points. They're placed higher than you, so expect to drop down to Class D soon."

Audible groans and complaints flooded the revelation, but most of them were silenced immediately.

A lone man in his forties or fifties walked in, with whitish hair and a fair, wise complexion.

"Takeyama-kun," he said, ignoring the rest of the class for now. "I hope you're done with everything you had to say? The announcements will be made shortly, and you need to be escorted to your new class."

"Yes, Mr. Chairman."

Chairman?

Almost everyone sat up a bit straighter when they found out. Even Chabashira-sensei seemed to have stiffened up a bit when the Chairman had walked through.

All except one person.

Takeyama-kun continued to move and speak to the Chairman like he was talking to an old friend. No signs of nervousness or indecisiveness. He was speaking to the Chairman like it were second nature to him.

"I don't have anything else to say," Takeyama-kun said, and he prepared to leave the class. "You've all been wonderful to me, and I've made great friends. Let's make it stay that way. We don't have to break our ties for any reason. I wish you guys the very best."

And with those last parting words, Takeyama bowed to all of us, and left the class along with the Chairman.

_

( Takeyama POV )

"Did you convince your friends, Keisuke-kun?" the Chairman asked beside me, as we walked towards the other classes.

"It was hard," I replied. "But I tried to be as clear and frank as possible, without hurting their feelings or getting ill-intentions across. It still is a bit hard to believe, though."

Mr. Sakayanagi merely hummed, and we continued to walk in silence.

"Say, Mr. Chairman?"

"Yes?"

"This is being done for me and Kiyotaka, is it not?"

The Chairman, instead of being surprised, just sighed. "Of course it is, Keisuke-kun. This is being done to separate the two of you. If I had to put it, it has probably been put as a measure so that you cannot interfere in Kiyotaka-kun's affairs. After all, the two of you working together is more irksome to Ayanokoji-sensei than just Kiyotaka himself."

I stayed silent as his analysis.

"You do not know the details?"

"I'm afraid I don't," the Chairman replied. "So please be careful, Keisuke-kun. In the case that I really am removed from my post as Chairman, then I will not be here to protect you or Kiyotaka-kun. You must stay safe. The new person in my place might be working directly under Ayanokoji-sensei, so he will not hesitate to use fraudulent means."

"I understand, sensei."

We found ourselves in front of Class D, but I couldn't hear a sound inside. Is Ryuuen even speaking?

"Go ahead, Keisuke-kun."

"Me?"

"Why not? Go ahead to the other classes, I'll call Ryuuen-kun from here."

I nodded, and I set off towards Classes A and B. I found myself in front of Class B only a few moments later. It felt rather weird to walk into someone else's class, but this entire situation in weird anyways.

I slowly opened the door to their classroom. The sight inside was a bit unnerving.

It seems that all the girls in Class B had come together in some sort of group hug, bidding Ichinose a tearful farewell. Hoshinomiya-sensei was standing in one corner of the classroom as well, but even she didn't have the usual cheerful attitude around her. She looked a bit sullen.

Kanzaki was the first one to spot me by the doorway.

"Takeyama-kun?"

All heads turned towards me. I felt extremely weird, being the center of attention in a class where I don't even know half the people.

"I'm here to call Ichinose-san," I said clearly. "She needs to come to the new class."

Kanzaki merely nodded, and set out to call Ichinose from within the throng of crying girls. Is Class B so closely knit...?

"Oh, Takeyama-kun!" Ichinose waved to me, and I returned a small wave of my own. I stood outside the door to the classroom, not wanting to get myself involved in Ichinose's tearful farewell.

After a few minutes, she exited the classroom, and you could lightly make out lightly-swelled eyes. It seems that Ichinose-san had cried a bit as well.

Strange... it's not like we're dying or anything. We're just a few classrooms away, that's all.

"Let's go," I said, and Ichinose nodded. She followed behind me, maybe a bit bummed out from the recent ordeal. I slowed down my pace to match hers. The last thing I wanted to do was make her feel a bit uncomfortable.

I stopped outside Class A. I knocked on the door, and Mashima-sensei opened the door. He immediately understood why I was there, and I didn't need to speak out.

In a few moments, Sakayanagi Arisu exited the class, and after a curt nod, the three of us met with Ryuuen and the Chairman.

"So now that you're all here, let me take you to your classroom," the Chairman said. "It's on the second floor, the floor above this. Your class will be on the same level as those of the Second Years."

I cringed. I would now have to be in the same floor as Nagumo?

But on the brighter side, it's the same floor as Nazuna-senpai as well. I giggled evilly at the thought of the chocolate-haired senpai.

We silently made our way to the new classroom. All in all, it was literally the same thing. The same type of classroom, the same windows, the same blackboard and teacher's desk.

Ah, teacher's desk reminds me of something.

"Who's our homeroom teacher, Mr. Sakayanagi?"

"You don't have a homeroom teacher as of now," the Chairman confirmed, and the four of us stared at him suspiciously. "You're all under direct supervision by all teachers. On paper, I am your homeroom teacher for now, but only on paper."

"Wait, so what's the deal?" Ryuuen asked tauntingly. "Who's supposed to be explaining all the Special Exams and whatnot to our class?"

"It will be done by all the four homeroom teachers. Ms. Chabashira, Ms. Hoshinomiya, Mr. Mashima and Mr. Sakagami. You're all under coordinated supervision. In other words, you don't have a homeroom teacher, and all your doubts will be impartially cleared by these 4 teachers only."

Pain.

That means I'm still kinda stuck with Chabs-sensei, if she's gonna come and teach and be our associate homeroom teacher anyways.

It didn't seem like the others had any questions, so we simply decided to unwind in our new classroom.

"So we're all in the same class now, huh?" Ryuuen was the one to speak first, and he propped his legs up on his desk. "Tch... all four of us in the same class. I was itching for some toy fight with Class B, but looks like it's not gonna happen anymore."

Ichinose still looked a bit uncomfortable settling into the new class. Is she still hung over the fact that she left her friends behind, or is it the intimidating air that the class had for some reason?

"Fufu. Well, all in all, I'm glad we're now in the same class, Keisuke-kun," Arisu said, as she smiled the smuggest smile I've seen yet. "I would have felt bad if I had to go up against you."

"Bad for me or bad for yourself?"

Arisu simply laughed off my comment, and she stared at me with strange eyes. I ignored the stare.

"Say, Takeyama-kun." Ichinose was the one to call me out.

"Hmm?"

"Do you not miss them?"

"...?"

"Do you not miss your friends? Aren't you sad that you had to leave them behind?"

"Ichinose-san, we're only one floor away from them," I deadpanned. "You could jump out of this window right here and land into Class B. That's how close we are."

Ichinose pouted as she heard my somehow logically accurate yet inaccurate answer.

"Ahh~~ that's not what I meant! But I'll take it," she said, and she seemed to have calmed down a bit. "It's just that, everyone in Class B is very close, so the loss of even one person feels like a very heavy hit, even though I'm not exactly expelled."

"You'll get used to it, Ichinose-san," Arisu commented. "You'll soon understand that things like friendship and teamwork don't really exist. These are all arbitrary terms. You must discard these notions and select the option that suits you best."

Ichinose furrowed her eyebrows, thoroughly unconvinced. "I'm sorry Sakayanagi-san, but I must disagree. A class that knows the true meaning of teamwork can benefit from the concept of teamwork. If you choose to ignore this, then it is nigh impossible."

Arisu merely smiled.

"Our views our different, Ichinose-san. We must agree to disagree."

"... right."

The conversation lulled for a bit.

"Yo, Ryuuen."

Ryuuen turned to look at me. "What do you want?"

"I was just thinking. This is a class meant solely for the best students across the grade, right?"

"Yeah?"

"So why are you here?"

Ryuuen's smile faded in an instant. "Tch. It's because I'm worthy of being in this class. Was that your attempt at taking a jab at me, Takeyama? Pathetic."

"No, it wasn't. I just asked that question because I wanted the conversation to go just like how it is currently going. Wanna hang out sometime? All four of us. Might as well do so."

"And why is that related to what you asked me?" Ryuuen asked suspiciously.

"If I belittle you, you'll gain an involuntary psychological complex to prove yourself to me, even if you don't think you need to. You'll try to prove you deserve to be in this class. You'll be more likely to accept the invitation I just threw out."

Arisu stared at my direction in awe, while Ichinose just stood there dumfounded.

Ryuuen blinked.

"I'm gonna assume I just understood that."

"Cool. It's an internet trick that I read a few days ago. I just wanted to try it out and see whether it actually works."

"Apparently it does."

_

A/N's:

You guys never expected a wholesome Ryuuen now did you

Neither did I.

Also, just 2 more chapters until the end of this book.

_

Chapter 68.5 - Desire

( Third Person POV )

A white wall.

An enormous white wall, that seemed to stretch out forever into the corridor ahead.

A boy of 9, with messy black hair, and a pretty face, stared down the hallway. But he couldn't see the end of it.

A hand pulled him on ahead, and he continued to walk. The man who was holding his hand led him into another room.

A room with a comfortable-looking bed, but several machines that the boy had become used to seeing. Several men and women in lab coats, staring at him with an expression which he could not distinguish.

Was it apathy?

Was it pity?

Was it an emotion he was familiar with?

Maybe.

If he remembers correctly, a soft look in the eyes, paired with either a corrugator and depressor anguli oris contraction, results in a sad smile.

But that wasn't the expression that was present on their faces.

In fact, he couldn't tell what expression they really had, masked under their laboratory equipment and face shield.

He knew what he needed to do, though. He wordlessly lay down on the bed, and closed his eyes.

Soon, he could feel several straps being used to restrict him in place.

A soft prick of a needle, on his right arm.

Another one on the left.

And a few more on each arm.

The anesthesia started to set in, and he could slowly feel himself lose consciousness. The world around him began to twist and twirl out of existence.

He closed his eyes, and let the feeling engulf him.

Because this was the only moment in his waking time that he ever felt at peace.

_

"Watching him?"

A young girl stared through the glass window of the Operation Theatre, curiously gazing at the black-haired boy being restricted by straps, and having several tests being done on him.

"Yes," the girl replied, not looking up once to greet the elder visitor. "I watch him every now and then."

"Why?"

The red-haired girl thought of an answer.

"It's interesting," she said simply, still staring intently at the doctors doing their job. "Why are you doing that to him? Doesn't it hurt?"

The elderly man, who went by the name Ayanokoji, simply smirked. "You've gone through quite some hellish training as well, Ichika. Do you feel bad for the boy?"

"I don't know," she said. "But he's going through a lot of pain. You can see him squirming in his sleep."

It was true. The boy seemed to be a bit uncomfortable, and once in a while, he would twitch rather suddenly, and then stay still, almost like he had died. But the soft beeping of the monitor continued to ensure his survival.

"Some people need to go through the pain, Ichika. To help the others on the same path without them faltering. That's how the world works, does it not?"

The girl remained silent.

"The first man on the Moon knew how dangerous and hard it would be to complete the mission. The mortality rate was incredibly high. Yet, he persevered, and along with 2 other astronauts, they successfully conquered the Moon. Would we humans be where we are today without their valor and bravery?"

The girl did not reply, but instead found the boy much more interesting. She squeezed her face against the glass wall, almost as though she wanted to enter the room itself.

"He's the reason we get this training, don't we?"

The girl, Ichika Amasawa, had hit the nail right on the coffin.

"Yes," Ayanokoji-sensei replied simply, without batting an eyelid. "Because of his valor and bravery, we have the resources to help students like you unlock your maximum potential."

"How does it help?"

"Soon, you will be given low quantities of these injections as well," Ayanokoji-sensei said. "Just maybe once a month or so, unlike this boy, who gets extensive tests done on him almost every alternate day."

"Will it help?"

"It will. It'll help you reach the level of the Masterpiece. Even though he's doing it without the drugs, you'll be leaps and bounds better than before."

"I don't care."

"Hmm?" Ayanokoji-sensei let out a questioning hum.

"I don't care," Ichika replied simply, as she turned to look at sensei. "I don't care if I get better than the Masterpiece or not."

"Oh? And why is that?"

"Because it isn't worth it," Ichika replied, twirling her pretty pigtails. "I don't have any fascination towards him."

"So you don't want to meet the Masterpiece?"

"Not interested."

"How about Keisuke?"

The little girl, for the first time, turned to look at Ayanokoji-sensei, with hopeful eyes.

"I can meet him?"

"Yes."

"Face to face?"

"Yes, you can."

"Right now?"

"Not right now, Ichika. The boy is in a comatose state. There's no point trying to strike a conversation with him," Ayanokoji-sensei replied airily. "But I assure you. One day, you'll definitely meet the boy. "

Ichika stared at Ayanokoji-sensei a bit longer, before turning her gaze back to the boy. The operation was complete, and he was still asleep on the bed inside the OT.

"You must leave now," Ayanokoji-sensei said, as she nudged the girl along. "Your training starts soon. You better not be late."

The girl tore her gaze away from the sleeping boy, before returning back to her training grounds.

_

"I can see him today?"

"You can. But refrain from making unnecessary comments. He's a silent listener, and speaks in a very straightforward and rude way."

"That doesn't matter," Ichika said, as she tried to hide the smile slowly cropping on her face. "I'll be respectful, Ayanokoji-sensei."

The elder man looked down at the girl for a few seconds, and let out a sigh.

"You're the first person to meet him."

Ichika narrowed her eyes, as she continued to walk down the corridor towards the East Wing.

"Has no one met him before?"

"Not a child, no. You're the first. His training is quite special, you see. You should consider yourself lucky that you're able to meet The Experiment. Many students wish to meet him, but not many do."

"Then why are you allowing me?"

Ayanokoji-sensei hummed a bit, choosing his words carefully.

"Maybe because you'll find a connection to him. I think the two of you might get along well."

"That's the reason?"

"Yes. Don't ask so many questions."

Ichika turned to look forward, and took small dancing steps, humming a tune to herself. One would think that she is incredibly happy to meet this boy.

"What do you mean, a connection with him?"

"You may not comprehend now, but it might help the two of you later on."

Ichika wasn't satisfied with the vague answer that she received, but she decided to stop asking further questions. In case she pissed Ayanokoji-sensei off anymore, she might lose this chance.

"We're here."

The two of them stood in front of a large, imposing door. Ayanokoji-sensei pressed his finger onto the biometric sensor, and the door whooshed open immediately.

"Go on ahead."

"I thought you would be watching us."

"I will through the camera," Ayanokoji-sensei said. "I'll be here to take you back to your room once you're done. Remember, you're not allowed to exit without my permission."

"I figured."

Ichika slowly entered the room, and the door closed behind her. She slowly walked down the foyer, one that extended for quite an astounding distance, and she reached another door.

A brown wooden door, a stark contrast to the otherwise white walls. Ichika almost gasped as she noticed something that finally wasn't white in color inside the facility.

She braced herself, and slowly opened the door.

She was greeted by a majestic room, a room with everything one could ask for.

A complete library on one end, filled with several thick books. A king-sized bed in the center, with a posh, comfortable rug running throughout the room. A small kitchenette as well, equipped with everything a chef could ask for. A homey bar as well, which Ichika deduced was present solely for aesthetic purposes. Ambient, orange lights which soothed her as she walked, mesmerized. The room even had a mezzanine, complete with sofas and a coffee table.

She finally noticed him. A boy with messy, black hair, sitting on a sofa, and looking out of the window into the mountainous terrain of the forests that The White Room is situated in.

He turned to look at his visitor, and his eyes widened almost immediately.

"You are?"

"Amasawa Ichika. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Amasawa...?"

The boy did not reply. He thought back to his butler, Daisuke Amasawa.

Surely it is a coincidence?

After inspecting the girl for a few more moments, he merely huffed and turned to stare out of the window again.

Ichika slowly walked into the room, marveling at the beautiful potted plants and sheer interior décor the room had. She slowly stood beside the sofa, and looked at the boy sitting in front of her.

His face was quite pretty. He had a defined jawline, and sharp eyes. His lips were formed into a thin poker face, as he ignored the girl.

"I'm Ichika Amasawa."

"I heard you the first time."

Ichika took that as a positive sign, and seated herself beside the boy, much to his chagrin.

"How did you get in?" the boy asked suddenly, and he turned to look at her. "No one has ever been inside here before. Not someone like you, at least."

"I asked for it," she replied. "It's because I wanted to meet you."

"And why is that?"

"Because I was interested," Ichika replied, and she tilted her head cutely, trying to draw the apathetic boy's attention. "What's your name?"

"Why do you care?"

"Pretty please?"

"... Keisuke Takeyama."

Ichika slowly recited his name in her head again and again, as though to properly etch it in her memory.

"Guess what my name is?"

"Ichika Amasawa. You've told me before already."

"So you were listening. I thought you were ignoring me then," Ichika said, and she turned to sit from across him, blocking his view of the mountains.

"Move," the boy said plainly. "You're blocking the view."

"But I am the view."

"Tch."

The boy merely snorted at her pathetic comeback for a statement, and turned to look the other way.

"I wanna talk to you."

"Why?"

"As I've said before, you're interesting. I've watched you go into the OT many times. I've seen you be a test subject."

The boy remained silent, and stared at the girl with slit like eyes.

"I just wanted to meet you," Ichika said. "You're someone I aspire to be like."

"Why?"

Ichika tilted her head questioningly.

"Why do you want to be like me?" Keisuke asked, as he looked into the red-haired girl's eyes. "My life isn't all cake and joy. The only thing good about it is my living conditions. I live like a king, you could say. But I'm treated like a castaway. I'm subjected to many tests. Why do you want to be someone like me?"

Ichika thought for an answer.

"Because you're cool."

Keisuke did not reply, and continued to listen to Ichika.

"Because you're cool," Ichika repeated. "I've seen you with such a clam and composed expression, every time you enter the OT. You're always collected, and you never look distressed. I found that very cool."

"That's superficial. This is the first time we're meeting, you know?"

"But it didn't change my opinion. I still think you're cool," Ichika said earnestly. "I want to be like you someday."

Keisuke sighed.

"I hope you don't regret choosing me as a role model."

"I know I won't."

"They'll be here soon," Keisuke said suddenly, and he slowly got up from the couch. "I have a few more tests to pass today."

"I'll be rooting for you then," Ichika said, as she stood up to leave as well.

"What is this, a football match?"

Ichika merely bared her pointy-white teeth in a sweet smile, and left the room.

* * *

"You're back again?"

Keisuke sighed as he watched the red-haired Ichika waltz into his abode. "Why are you here?"

"What? Am I not welcome?"

"It's annoying. I only get this much free time, and I don't need to you waste it for me."

Ichika ignored the rants of the annoyed boy, and crashed onto the well-made bed. "This is so comfy... I could get used to this."

Keisuke stretched his limbs a bit. "Don't get used to it."

"Hey. Why do you get such preferential treatment? You've got such a fancy room all to yourself," Ichika asked suddenly. She chose her words carefully, because the camera in the room recorded both audio and video. So she had to make sure she didn't say anything out of line.

"Maybe because I've done a lot," Keisuke replied airily, as he sprawled himself across the couch. "I deserve this, in a way."

Ichika rolled around on the bed.

"Stop doing that," Keisuke said to the younger girl. "I just made it."

"Well, looks like you'll have to do it again," Ichika said cheekily. Keisuke rolled his eyes, but did not say anything nonetheless.

"Hey," Keisuke asked. "Who's the supervisor around here?"

"The supervisor...?"

Ichika scrunched up her eyebrows, and thought for a bit.

She clearly remembered Ayanokoji-sensei saying that he must never utter his name or the name of the Masterpiece in front of Keisuke. Apparently, his training forbids that.

She couldn't obviously tell him.

But Ayanokoji-sensei never said anything about telling him the truth.

Ichika was sure he would understand.

"I cannot tell you," she replied. "I'm forbidden to speak of it."

"Why?"

"I don't know myself. But it's better for you to remain in the dark about it," Ichika replied earnestly.

Keisuke did not the like the answer one bit, but he did not pressurize Ichika.

Even if he doesn't admit it, Keisuke has become fond of Ichika's company.

She's been visiting his room almost everyday for the last few days. He liked the company that she gave.

Maybe it was because he'd never interacted with someone of around his age properly before, so he unnaturally felt good about it?

"Whatcha thinking?" Ichika asked cutely, as she stared at Keisuke from under the blanket. "You have that I'm thinking really hardlook on your face right now."

"Nothing. I was wondering when you were gonna leave."

"You really are rude..." Ichika pouted, and she slammed back on the bed. "You don't like me here?"

Keisuke did not respond, but simply stared out into the mountains outside his room. The month was December, and the snow had just started to fall.

White flakes fell from the sky, and Keisuke stared out with interest.

"Have you ever wanted to touch the snow?" Keisuke asked suddenly. Ichika turned to look at him.

"Touch the snow?"

"Yeah. We've all seen it. But have you wondered what it feels like? Tastes like?"

"It probably tastes yucky," Ichika said, as she put out her tongue. "Feels like...? Maybe a pillow?"

"A pillow... falling from the sky..." Keisuke twisted his lips into a frown. Surely that wasn't true?

"Wanna go and find out one day?"

Keisuke turned to look at Ichika. "Find out what?"

"Whether it really does feel like pillow or not," Ichika squealed. "We'll find out!"

"How?"

"That's the part I haven't figured out yet," Ichika said thoughtfully. "But we'll figure out soon enough!"

"Why're you roping me in?"

"Don't you wanna know what it feels like?"

"Maybe..."

Keisuke murmured under his breath, before turning to stare out of the window again.

"Do you want me to go?" Ichika asked from under the blanket, and she looked at the black-haired boy.

Keisuke did not respond, but instead let out a disappointed sigh. "I don't mind."

"Don't mind me going?"

"Don't mind you staying."

Ichika suddenly smiled a devil's grin when she heard this come from Keisuke's own mouth.

"So you like me?"

"No. You're still annoying. But now I'm used to it."

Ichika pouted. Keisuke didn't turn around to witness it.

"Do you know my butler?"

Keisuke asked this question, and he finally tore his gaze away from the snow outside.

"Why would I know your butler?" Ichika asked exasperatedly.

"His name is Daisuke Amasawa."

Silence.

Ichika took a while to digest the information, but she didn't seem as surprised as Keisuke had thought she would be.

"So he's my...?"

"I don't know. He never told me. Father?"

"I was born from an IV tube. You know that, right?"

Keisuke raised his eyebrows. "No."

"Well, now you know. I was born in an IV tube," Ichika said, as she continued to twirl her hair around. "So maybe he is my father. I don't really care. I've never met him. And if he doesn't care about me, I don't see why I should care about him."

Keisuke remained silent.

"So we're much closer than we thought, huh..." Ichika drifted off on an unexpected tangent. "Hey, doesn't that kinda make us siblings?"

"How in the world...?"

"Not really siblings, but you get the gist," Ichika said excitedly. "We're much closer than we thought we were!"

"A younger sister who's you? I'll pass."

"But I want you as my elder brother!"

"Keep wanting."

Ichika frowned, and jumped out of the bed. She tiptoed over to the couch.

"You don't want me as your sister?"

"..."

"Yes or no?"

"..."

"Say something!"

"Will you go away if I say no?"

"No."

"Then yes."

Ichika widened her eyes in glee. "Wait, so we're officially siblings now!?"

"Suit yourself," was Keisuke's bored answer, and Ichika jumped around the room in joy. Keisuke sweatdropped at the girl's excitement.

"So cool! So I get to call you nii-san now!"

"Oh my god..."

* * *

"Nii-san!"

"What?"

"Look at what I learned today!"

Ichika shoved an entire sheet filled with an entry scholarly paper on the Schanuel's Conjecture on Keisuke's face.

"You don't have to show me."

"But I'm excited!"

"On Schanuel's Conjecture? Please, that's too boring."

"Transcendental Number Theory is not boring!"

Keisuke merely scoffed, and turned back to reading his book 'Crime and Punishment'.

"Come on, you can at least be proud of your imouto!"

"I'm proud of you."

"No, say it again! With more energy!"

But Ichika was greeted with a couch cushion on her face instead.

"Shut up, will ya? I'm trying to read here," Keisuke snarled.

"You're mean, nii-san..."

Ichika slumped down on the bed with a sad pout on her face. Keisuke stared at the red-haired girl, and suddenly regretted the decision of accepting her as his younger sister.

"Ok. I'm proud of you, Ichika."

Keisuke muttered softly but audibly, but with a bit more energy into it. Ichika looked up from the bed.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Ichika smiled deviously. "I knew you had a soft side, nii-san~~"

"... annoying."

* * *

"They're... shifting you?" a fifteen-year old Ichika asked uneasily, as she watched several people inside Keisuke's room packing up all his things.

"The White Room's closing down," Keisuke replied, as he watched his stuff get packed as well. "Not permanently, though. It seems there's been some security breach, so they're shifting us off to a recreation house in the outskirts."

"But they didn't tell us anything. I'm apparently staying here."

"Maybe it's not everyone. I'm one of the people getting shifted," Keisuke said.

"So you're going away?" Ichika asked sadly.

"I'm not gone forever," Keisuke deadpanned. "They'll get me back here as soon as they're done with whatever they're going to do."

"But still. I won't get to meet you for a while now."

"That's there."

The 2 of them stood in silence as workers and porters continued to heave luggage outside the only non-white room in the entire facility.

"See you soon then I guess, nii-san," Ichika said, as she stared at Keisuke. "I'll miss you."

"I'll come back."

"I know."

"Be good."

"You don't get to say that."

"You're my sister. I can say whatever I want."

"Meanie~~ hey, get me some souvenirs from outside, please?"

"The hell? Souvenirs?"

"I don't know. A plushie, or something? I've always wanted one."

"Whatever. I'll see."

"Hehe~~"

Ichika grinned, and Keisuke rolled his eyes. A man wearing a formal tuxedo approached the duo.

"It's time to go, Takeyama-sama."

Keisuke turned to look at his apparent-sister. "Well, that's that then. I'm off."

"Bye bye~~ I'll see you soon."

"Hmm."

Keisuke reached out his hand, and slowly ruffled Ichika's smooth, red hair softly. Ichika smiled a devious smile, grinning at the fact that she was receiving headpats.

The headpats stopped, and Ichika made an annoyed face. Keisuke merely smiled a soft smile, and set off in the opposite direction.

With that last send-off, Ichika Amasawa watched as Keisuke Takeyama disappeared along the bend of the corridor.

_

Chapter 69 - Epilogue

Welcome to the last chapter of Another Like Me, Part I.

This was pretty much the first story I've ever written on any platform, and the overwhelming response I've received is so cool. I never thought this story would even reach 1K views when I first started, but we're currently touching 170K reads. I'm truly humbled.

Thank you to all readers, voters and commenters out there who've voiced their support for this story. I hope you continue to support me in my future endeavors.

There's no better way to end a book than to end on Chapter 69.

I won't waste anymore time.

It's finally time for the Epilogue.

_

( Third Person POV )

He walked down the corridor, ignoring the stares that he was receiving from both students and faculty.

Discolored hallways.

The place where he grew up.

The place which he might call 'home'.

Never did he hold anything against this place.

They have done unspeakable things to his body.

Modified it to suit their needs.

But never did he hold anything against this place.

To him, this was his first home.

Ever since the beginning, he remembered only these white hallways. Those needles. The same old doctors.

He slowly felt an emotion boil inside him, whenever he thought of these doctors.

Keisuke knew that this feeling was called anger.

The ones who poked him around with syringes mercilessly. Ran various tests on him. Made him run with innumerable devices attached to him, just to gauge his body functionalities.

But he was never denied anything either.

Keisuke Takeyama did not hate the White Room.

... to tell the truth, Keisuke liked the White Room.

He had everything that one could possibly want. Delicious food. A wonderful place to live in.

A girl he could now call family.

But once Keisuke learned that there existed something known as freedom, he wanted to experience it.

Unlike several other students in the White Room, who had sacrificed their emotions in hope of achieving the pinnacle, Keisuke Takeyama did the opposite.

He held onto his emotions, and used them as his guiding light in times of need.

Sometimes, there are decisions in life which logic cannot solve.

A logical mindset may lead the world, but will always be second to someone who has both logic and emotions.

Sometimes, decisions are meant to be taken without thinking.

Sometimes, you must follow your heart, and do what you want to do.

Keisuke Takeyama wanted this feeling.

He wanted to know what it really means to live by the heart.

What it really means to take a decision without thinking about the consequences.

Decisions which might destroy your life later, but will fulfil your desires now.

There is no better time than the present, after all.

You cannot hope to secure a future when your present is in shambles.

Humans are creatures of emotion.

It is what makes us the apex species, the dominant species on Earth.

And that is what makes Keisuke Takeyama different.

The boy who chose peace over violence.

The boy who chose forgiveness over revenge.

The boy who chose emotion over logic.

The boy who knew he might not be the best product of the White Room, because of his choice.

A choice that might come to haunt him later. A choice that barred him from unlocking his maximum potential.

The boy who could not attain his maximum potential, was the same boy who was responsible for helping hundreds of other students attain their maximum potential.

The boy who could have been a legend.

The boy who had a choice. A choice where he chose the weaker one.

But the boy had no regrets.

Keisuke Takeyama had no regrets.

It is because of his indomitable will and fire, Keisuke Takeyama became a name etched into the history of the institution known as White Room.

Because he was the first product to continue to have control over his emotions.

The unpredictable.

When you make a decision by logic, you arrive at only one possible solution.

But a decision made by emotions can have an infinite number of solutions.

A boy armed with emotions, and another armed with logic.

Naturally, the boy with emotions will win.

Because if you don't have emotions, you're not human.

And if you're not human, you cannot unlock the maximum potential of a human.

The person who understands this shall stand above all his peers, because he is the one who has learned what it truly means to be human.

You don't become a Masterpiece by discarding your emotions.

You become a Masterpiece when you learn how to control them.

[ -- -- -- ]

fin

[ -- -- -- ]

Another Like Me - Part I (CoTE x OC)

Started - 2/11/2021
Ended - 9/06/2022
Status - Completed

To Be Continued in
Another Like Me - Part II (CoTE x OC)

_

Another Like Me, Part II (Teaser)

You're getting weak, Takeyama.

It seems I need to be more wary of Class A now.

You're making this much harder than it needs to be, Tsukishiro.

I'm not on anyone's side. I'm merely a spectator. I love chaos, and that's all I wish for. Isn't that right, Nagumo?

Care for an arm-wrestling match, Kiyotaka?

So the White Room's decided to come after me? I don't see how that's my problem.

It's your fault, Takeyama! Your fault that I've lost everything!

You can't be a hero to everyone. Pick your poison wisely.

Expel or be expelled. That's all there is to it.

I'm not strong. You're just too weak.

Class S... they're too strong. It's impossible.

So you're leading Class A now, huh? Strange...

"Ichika."

"Yes, onii-chan?"

"We're gonna shake this very school to its core."

[ -- -- -- ]

Part II is Out!

Sup peeps.

I just wanted to let you all know that Part II is officially out! So in case you missed the announcement, go ahead and check it out!

That's pretty much all I wanted to say, so see ya.

Cheers!

_