variable cote

by vamer

ok

Classroom Of The Elite: Variable
103

Published: 2023
Source: https/

Things To Know [Updated]

A lot of chapters in Volume 1 may be almost the same as they were in the original novel with some slight differences. However, changes become more apparent later on.

Story primarily uses Kawasaki's (OC) Point of View.

Kawasaki (OC) won't completely replace Ayanokouji as the "protagonist" of the story. They're both the protagonists in a way. Some events that Ayanokouji experiences will instead go to him.

I'll upload a chapter a day until I'm caught up with where I'm currently writing. Word count on chapters will vary.

Any significant changes you want to see happen, comment. (Example: A class wins a special exam that they didn't originally win in the novel.)

Also, leave your suggestions for pairings. I already created some foundations for certain girls, but still leave suggestions anyways.

P.S. It doesn't have to be just one girl. If that's the popular vote that is.

6/24/23

For the health of the book, I have compressed the (.) chapters into one as indicated by the line break . Also fixed some minor grammar errors.

[Vol 1] Chapter 1: For Our Own Benefit

If you have a moment, I'd like to ask you honestly what you think about something that's been on my mind.

Do truly selfless people exist?

Most people would say yes, that there are selfless people, but I want you to hear me out. Suppose you were to give money to a homeless person you saw on the street. You could argue that you did it because it was the right thing to do. However, if you had ignored him and continued walking, wouldn't you have felt bad? Then, rather than acting out of selflessness, your actions were driven by self-gratification.

Regardless of whether you claim it wasn't your intention, you unintentionally benefited from it. For instance, assisting others can help us develop social ties and improve our reputation, both of which can result in opportunities and advantages in the future.

Not that I disapprove of the notion of genuinely selfless individuals. Simply put, I don't think it's possible for someone to be that kind-hearted and not harbor any ulterior motives. Try talking to your new seatmate as an example. You strike up a conversation with them in an effort to break the awkward atmosphere between strangers. It's important to keep in mind that your attempt to start a conversation may upset the other person, who may be finding the environment to be rather relaxing. Wouldn't that mean you ruined someone else's happiness for your own gain? All for the simple reason that you felt uncomfortable.

Aristotle once said, "Every action and pursuit is considered to aim at some good, and for this reason, the good has rightly been declared to be that at which all things aim."

Aristotle suggests that every action we take is intended to achieve some good, whether for ourselves or others. He contends that regardless of whether it is tangible or intangible, we are constantly trying to acquire something that we think will benefit us. Anything from material possessions to social standing to personal contentment or happiness could fall under this category.

All actions, even those that appear to be performed out of selflessness, are ultimately driven by our desire to obtain some sort of personal benefit or a sense of fulfillment, according to Aristotle's theory that all actions are intended to achieve some good. This is not to say that we act inherently selfishly, but rather that we are always driven by our unique needs and desires.

Hey, you. Have you ever thought about why you do the things you do? Have you ever acted in a truly selfless way?

However, whether you do or not is ultimately irrelevant to me. What you do is none of my business. I simply thought the question was thought-provoking; don't you?

[Vol 1] Chapter 2: The School Of Your Dreams

The more decisions that you are forced to make alone, the more you are aware of your freedom to choose. –Thornton Wilder

April. It was the start of a new school year. I was enjoying the cool spring breeze as I waited for the bus. Many other students were in uniform and waiting for the bus as well.

It amazed me that every student here would eventually become a valuable member of society. Then again, isn't that the purpose of going to school?

Screech! I was startled out of my thoughts by the sound of the bus coming to a stop. I quickly got in and made my way to an available seat. It was going to be crowded on the bus, and I preferred not to be standing between people.

I had an aisle seat, which was unfortunate for me. I had hoped to sit in the window seat. Nothing beats resting your head on the window and gazing out at the passing scenery. But alas, I opted to close my eyes. It was going to be a long day, so getting some rest was a good idea.

However, my sleep was abruptly disturbed less than five minutes later by a voice.

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

I opened my eyes to look at the source of the commotion. An athletic young man with blond hair caught my attention. He appeared to be sitting in one of the priority seats. Two women stood in front of the man. One was a young office worker, and the other was an elderly lady.

"Hey, you there. Can't you see that this elderly woman is having trouble?" The office lady expressed her displeasure.

The majority of the passengers were staring at the commotion at this point.

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

The boy radiated a sense of arrogance from the way he spoke. The fact that he had a broad grin and crossed his legs added to the effect.

"Why should I offer up my seat? There's no reason for me to do so."

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

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

Wow. You'd never guess he was a high school student just by hearing him.

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

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

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

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

"It's f-fine, whatever..." the elderly woman had resigned herself. However, the office lady was still upset with the young boy for his attitude.

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

He flashed a smile and then promptly slid his earphones in. The office lady, on the other hand, was clearly frustrated and continued to argue. The young man ignored her and didn't appear to care.

I agreed with the boy despite his arrogant demeanor. He had nothing to gain by giving up his seat.

"I'm sorry..." The office lady apologized to the elderly woman.

She clearly felt guilty about not being able to give her a seat. What I found interesting was that, despite the fact that many people heard the commotion, no one offered their seat. I guess they also agreed with the boy then.

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

Unexpectedly, a girl wearing my high school's uniform spoke up and shared her honest opinion.

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

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

Crack! The young boy snapped his fingers.

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

Once again, I found myself agreeing with him. The office lady and the elderly woman both smiled bitterly in response to his words.

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

The girl was adamant about finding a seat for the elderly lady. You've got to admire her tenacity. I looked around and noticed people who pretended not to hear and those who were hesitant.

Sigh. "Here. You can have my seat." I stood up and motioned to my seat.

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

She repeatedly expressed her appreciation and sat down slowly.

"Wow! You're very kind!" The girl from earlier came up to me and expressed her gratitude.

"Not really. All I wanted was for the commotion to stop." I told her.

I could have ignored it, but I preferred that the rest of my journey be peaceful.

"Even so! It was a nice thing to do!" The girl responded in an energetic tone. It must be nice. "Oh! I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Kushida Kikyou! Class D! You are?"

"Kawasaki Rei. I'm also in Class D," I answered honestly.

"Wow! What a coincidence! Did any of your junior high friends get in?" Kushida appeared to be the type of person who could easily make friends with anyone. Impressive.

"No, I'm the only one that applied and got in."

"Does that mean I'm your first friend?"

Kushida seemed excited at the idea that she was my first friend here.

"I suppose so."

"Yay! Let's hope we have a good year!" She responded enthusiastically.

"Right." I couldn't match Kushida's energy. It's as if she were made out of pure positivity.

It wasn't long before we reached our destination and started to disembark. Everyone was making their way to the gate, effectively starting their high school career.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School was established by the Japanese government with the express purpose of developing future leaders. This was going to be my school for the next three years.

I can't say I'm not excited. I'm looking forward to this.

As I walked toward the school, I noticed two people arguing in the middle of the path.

"You were looking at me. Why?" The black-haired girl asked the boy.

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

Yikes. The girl seemed very aggressive. I wouldn't want to deal with that. I continued walking toward the school while feeling sorry for the poor boy. There was nothing I could do about it.

Some people may find entrance ceremonies irritating or boring, but I must disagree. Attending the ceremony allows you to gain insight into the school's ideologies. "Aren't school ideologies the same?" you might ask. Indeed, the purpose of schools is to support students' growth and education. They might approach it differently from the others in that regard, though.

Traditionalism, for instance, is something that most schools practice. This ideology places a strong emphasis on the value of a disciplined, teacher-centered educational strategy. Traditionalists contend that memorization and repetition are the best ways for students to acquire fundamental skills and knowledge.

Another school might follow constructivism, which places a strong emphasis on problem-solving and active learning. They think that students should learn about the world through exploration and inquiry, with teachers serving as mentors to help them form their own conclusions and solutions.

That doesn't mean that this applies to this school, however. I doubt the Japanese government would establish such a school. Then again, I'm not sure. The majority of the general public has no idea what is going on at this school. It stands to reason that they would not want their alumni to talk about their experiences since the methods they use to educate their students are likely confidential.

When I walked into my classroom, I noticed that most of the students were already chatting with one another. Already making friends, huh?

The third seat from the end of the row was mine. I noticed the boy with brown hair from earlier when I turned to my left. He appeared to be engaged in a struggle with himself. Should I talk to him? I stood up to approach him, but the aggressive black-haired girl from earlier sat down beside him at the same time. Nevermind; I don't want to deal with her.

I noticed a pink-haired girl wearing glasses when I turned to the right. I turned to talk to her.

"Hello."

"Eep!" Whoops. It seems that I scared her.

"Sorry, I just wanted to introduce myself," I explained.

"O-oh, i-it's fine."The girl didn't appear to be used to social interaction. I definitely sympathize.

"I'm Kawasaki Rei. It's nice to meet you."

"I-I'm S-Sakura Airi. I-It's n-nice to meet you as w-well."

After some thought, I realized I was sitting between two girls. Lucky me, I guess.

I wanted to talk to her more, but I knew it would make her uncomfortable, so I let her be.

I chose to observe others instead. It may sound creepy, but if you want to have a good school year, you need to figure out who you can and cannot interact with.

"What a horrible coincidence." I muttered.

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

The blond boy walked over to a seat labeled "Kouenji" and sat. What made matters worse was that he was in my row, just two seats ahead of me.

Kouenji then raised his feet on his desk and began filing his nails. Wow, it appears that his arrogance extended beyond his comments. Everyone had backed away from Kouenji at this point, and I don't blame them.

After a while, the bell rang. A woman, presumably our teacher, entered the classroom at the same time. She wore a suit and had long hair, which she had tied into a ponytail. She had a stern gaze.

"Ahem. Good morning to you, students. I'm the instructor for Class D. My name is Chabashira Sae. I usually teach Japanese history. However, at this school, we do not change classrooms for each grade. For the next three years, I will be acting as your homeroom teacher, so I hope to get to know all of you. It's a pleasure to meet you. The entrance ceremony will be in the gymnasium one hour from now, but first, I will distribute written material with information about the school's special rules. I will also hand out the admissions guide."

When they were accepted to the school, the front-seat students were supposed to have already received the documents they were passing back.

This school was very unique in the way it functioned. Every student here is required to live on campus. Furthermore, students are not permitted to communicate with anyone outside of school, including their friends and parents. This obviously means that it is forbidden to leave the campus of the school without permission.

Fortunately, there are numerous facilities to compensate for the drawbacks. It has everything you can think of, such as a theater, cafe, supermarket, shopping mall, and so on. To be honest, the campus could be considered a city in and of itself. After all, it covered an area of more than 600,000 square meters.

The school had a one-of-a-kind feature that you won't find anywhere else: the S System.

"I will hand out your student ID cards. By using your card, you can access any of the facilities on campus, purchase goods from the store, and so on. It acts like a credit card. However, it is imperative that you pay attention to the points that you spend. At this school, you can use your points to buy anything. Anything located on the school premises is available for purchase."

If it wasn't clear by now, our points serve as a form of currency. That rules out the use of paper money and should stop students from accidentally losing money. Nevertheless, students still run the risk of developing bad spending habits and using all of their points in a single day. Though I doubt anyone would be naive enough to do that.

"Your student cards can be used simply by swiping them through the machine scanner. The method is simple, so you shouldn't get confused. Points are automatically deposited into your account on the first of every month. You should all have received 100,000 points already. Keep in mind that one point is worth one yen. No further explanation should be necessary."

The moment she finished speaking, the classroom erupted in a commotion. It was a reasonable reaction. Being given that much money as a high school student is unheard of.

"Shocked by the amount of points you've been given? This school evaluates its students' talents. Everyone here has passed the entrance examination, which itself speaks to your value and potential. The amount you've received reflects the evaluation of your worth. You can use your points without restraint. After graduation, however, all of your points return to the school. Because it's impossible to exchange your points for cash, there's no advantage to saving them. Once points have been deposited into your account, it's up to you how to spend them. Do as you like. In the event that you don't want to spend your points, you may transfer them to someone else. However, extorting money from your peers is not allowed. This school monitors bullying very carefully."

Chabashira-sensei looked around the room as everyone was still stunned by the situation.

"Well, it appears no one has any questions. I hope that you enjoy your time here as students."

"Not what I expected." I muttered.

For a school that boasts a nearly 100 percent placement rate in any college or job you want, it was certainly very lenient. Many of this school's alumni are famous. You wouldn't think they'd get 100,000 yen every month they were in school.

However, if every student who graduated from here went on to achieve success, the school must be doing something right.

As I looked around, everyone was discussing how to spend their points. Many of them were girls wanting to buy clothes. I suppose they would become restless with this much money.

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

A student raised his hand. He exuded a friendly aura that gave you the impression that you could talk to him about anything and he would listen.

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

Wow, what a brave thing to do.

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

After that comment, the boy from earlier introduced himself.

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

Well, it seems like we already have a class leader. It's safe to say that everyone has already taken a liking to him. The girls certainly think so. Hell, even some boys appear amazed!

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

At this, the girl in front looked flustered but quickly got up.

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

Inogashira seemed to be extremely nervous. It reminded me of Sakura.

"Do your best!"

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

Inogashira fell silent as her words got stuck in her throat. A good twenty seconds passed in silence. Some girls started giggling, which I found distasteful.

"It's okay to go slowly. Don't rush." a girl spoke up.

That seemed like the more appropriate response to me. Telling someone nervous things like, "Do your best!" or "Don't panic! It's okay!" would give the person the impression that they had messed up, effectively worsening the situation.

Inogashira soon calmed down. She took a few breaths and started speaking again.

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

After finishing, Inogashira was relieved that she had managed to introduce herself. She sat down afterward.

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

Were we supposed to be impressed? The inter-high championship shouldn't allow junior high school students to compete, I'm pretty sure of that.

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

It was Kushida who got up next. My first friend.

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

My previous statement was proven correct just like that.

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

Kushida was a total social butterfly. To be honest, I was a little envious.

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

"Well then, next up is..."

After Kushida's introduction, Hirata looked toward the next student. The student in question had red hair and, judging by his glare, didn't want to introduce himself..

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

His appearance and speech clearly marked him as a delinquent. I'm curious as to how he got into this school.

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

Surprisingly, Hirata bowed his head as he apologized. Some of the girls glared at the red-haired student as a result.

"Isn't it fine to introduce yourself?"

"Yeah, yeah!"

The girls began to defend Hirata, while some boys looked irritated at the attention he was getting.

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

The redhead stood up and walked away, adamant that he would not introduce himself. Sakura was among the students who did the same. She probably found it easier to avoid introducing herself altogether because she was too anxious to do so. Interestingly enough, the aggressive-looking girl also left.

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

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

Even though more than half of the students left, the remaining students continued with the introductions.

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

What a terrible way to introduce yourself. Look! The girls looked disgusted!

"Wow. You are so cool, Ike-kun," one girl sarcastically said.

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

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

The girls started laughing, and Ike, not understanding why they were laughing, went along with it.

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

"Hmph. Fine."

It was Kouenji. His smirk never disappeared as he started talking.

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

That explains his arrogance. Most people looked at him as if he didn't matter. I didn't blame them.

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

"Um, Kouenji-kun. What exactly do you mean when you say, 'anyone who makes me uncomfortable'?" asked Hirata, worried about the use of the word "punish."

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

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

I'm starting to wonder what the deal was with this class. They all seemed...eccentric.

Whatever, it's probably nothing. I'll just introduce myself and explore the other classes.

"Ahem. My name is Kawasaki Rei. I don't have any particular hobbies. I hope we can all get along."

"Thank you, Kawasaki-kun. I hope we can get along as well." Hirata responded.

I was hoping that my monotone voice didn't come across as uninterested.

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

"Huh?"

The boy with brown hair didn't anticipate being the next. He was probably lost in thought at the time. Clack! His chair rattled as he stood.

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

Ayanokouji sat down, burying his face in his hands. He didn't have enough time to properly prepare his introduction. That, or he was awkward in social situations. I couldn't tell which, though. His expression didn't change at all.

"It's nice to meet you, Ayanokouji-kun. I always want to be friends with everyone, just like you. Let's both do our best, okay?" Hirata gave a smile.

Everyone clapped, however, mostly out of pity.

I checked the time. I still have time left before the entrance ceremony. I'll go check out the other classes

"Impressive."

I couldn't help but mumble my true feelings. Although it was already clear, the school was large. The reality was only now dawning on me.

I reached a door labeled "Class C." Looking through the window, I could see a magenta-haired boy talking to his class. Why were the students scared, though?

"Uh, hello?" I entered the classroom and hesitantly greeted the class.

The students were taken aback. Did I look weird?

"Oh? Who the hell are you?" The magenta-haired boy questioned me. His eyes seemed to be examining me.

"I'm Kawasaki Rei from Class 1-D. I'm just here to introduce myself."

"Is that so? Looks like you're done introducing yourself. You can leave now."

The atmosphere was tense. If I stayed any longer, I had the impression that things would get worse. I nodded and quickly walked out of the room.

I went to the next classroom, Class B. I'm hoping they're a lot nicer than Class C.

"..."

As I walked into the classroom, I found myself speechless. They all appeared to be conversing with friendly smiles on their faces. There was a startling disparity between Class B and C.

"Oh! Hello there! What brings you here?"

"Um..."

I was caught off guard. With a smile that could kill anyone, a stunning girl with strawberry hair came up to me. Too bright of a smile!

"Oh! I forgot to introduce myself! My name is Ichinose Honami! You are?"

"Oh, uh, my name is Kawasaki Rei. I'm from Class 1-D."

"It's nice to meet you, Kawasaki-kun!"

"Likewise. I just came here to introduce myself."

"Really? You should have just said so!"

Ichinose swung around to face her schoolmates.

"Hey, everyone! Someone from Class D came to visit!" she announced.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to face me. They all looked at me with interest. I was starting to get nervous.

"Um, hello everyone. I'm Kawasaki Rei. I don't have any particular hobbies." I stated. What else should I say?

"Um, I hope that we have a good year together. It's nice meeting all of you." I finished, giving a slight bow.

"It's nice meeting you as well!"

"Yeah! Let's have a good year!"

Everyone started responding positively to my introduction. The class was full of good-hearted people, as far as I could tell. What a stark contrast to Classes C and D. I wonder why.

Well, that's done. I'll go to Class A and then head to the entrance ceremony.

Ichinose called out to me before I could leave.

"Wait! I forgot to give you something!"

She was holding out a slip of paper when I turned around to see her.

"Here's my number." I grabbed the slip. "If you ever need help, don't hesitate to ask me, okay?"

She was so unbelievably kind!

"Thanks, I will."

I was about to leave when I realized I needed to repay her kindness.

"Hey, Ichinose."

"Hm?"

I said this as I also gave her my phone number, "I may not know much, but you can ask me for help as well."

While I doubt I'm of any use, it was the least I could do.

"Oh, thank you! I'll keep that in mind!" she exclaimed in response.

"She reminds me of Kushida," I muttered as I exited the classroom.

They are remarkably similar to one another. They were both beautiful and had a tendency to help others. What an admirable thing to do!

" Attention students. Please head to the gymnasium at this time for the entrance ceremony. I repeat, please head to the gymnasium at this time for the entrance ceremony, thank you."

An announcement was made over the intercom by a female voice. I appeared to have spent so much time in Class B that I missed the opportunity to introduce myself to Class A. Eh, it doesn't really matter.

With those final thoughts, I headed towards the gymnasium.

Surprisingly, the entrance ceremony was nothing out of the ordinary. People came and spoke to us, telling us how this was a significant milestone in our lives and other such things. You know, the usual.

I overheard a lot of people, especially girls, mention that they were going to check out the cafés as the crowd dispersed. I was tempted to go, but I decided against it.

Think about it, one male student in a sea of female students. That would certainly be an unpleasant experience. Plus, don't you go to cafés when you're on a date? I'd prefer to go once I have a date. If I get one, that is.

Before I headed to the dormitories, I decided to go to the convenience store to stock up on supplies. I'm the kind of person who only shops when it's absolutely necessary. That's normal, right?

As I walked into the store, I noticed a variety of students looking over the merchandise. The majority of them praised the school for the number of points they received. Hell, there was a student with a basket full of expensive-looking products!

Sheesh, you would expect they'd have some sort of restraint.

Then again, how they spend their points doesn't involve me.

I grabbed a basket and began considering what I should eat. However, I should have known that convenience stores do not always sell the healthiest foods. I ultimately chose to purchase some cup noodles. They were, after all, inexpensive.

I was about to pay for my items when I noticed Ayanokouji and the aggressive-looking girl in a corner. What were they looking at?

Curiosity got the better of me, and I went over to investigate.

"Free?" the aggressive-looking girl muttered.

It was a bin full of necessities like bandages, toothpaste, shampoo, and—well, you get the idea. The most intriguing part was the sign that said "three items per month."

"They must be emergency relief supplies for students who use up their points. "This school is so lenient," Ayanokouji remarked.

I couldn't help but agree with him. However, isn't this sort of leniency bad?

But before I could say anything, a shout reverberated throughout the shop.

"Hey, shut it! Just wait a sec! I'm looking for it right now!"

"Come on, hurry up. You have a line of people waiting on you!"

"Oh, yeah? Well, if they have any complaints, they can take it up with me!"

It came as no surprise that it was the red-haired student from our class. It looks like he misplaced his student ID.

"What's going on here?"

"Huh? Who are you?"

It was Ayanokouji who tried to diffuse the situation. Unfortunately, the red-haired guy didn't seem to like that.

"My name's Ayanokouji. I'm from your class. I just asked because it sounded like there was trouble."

At this, the guy seemed to have calmed down a bit.

"Oh. Yeah, I remember you. I forgot my student ID card. Forgot that it pretty much acts as our money from now on, too."

I guess that was to be expected. It would take some time to adjust to such a change.

"I can pay for you. I mean, it'd be annoying if you had to head all the way back to the dorms. I don't really mind."

"That's true. You're right, it'd be absolutely annoying. Thanks."

Well, it appears that the situation will be resolved peacefully. I let out a sigh.

"What are you sighing about?"

It looks like I unintentionally caught the attention of the aggressive-looking girl. There is no getting out of this one.

"Just relieved that the situation was resolved without any violence or anything."

I expressed my honest thoughts. The situation could have easily escalated.

"Well, he should have left him be. If he can't control himself, he shouldn't be at this school."

What a ruthless way of looking at things. I suppose aggressive-looking girl was an appropriate name for her.

"You were thinking something rude, weren't you?" She narrowed her eyes.

"No, why would I do that to someone I just met?" I replied.

Yikes.

"You're acting like a pushover right from the start. Do you intend to become his servant? Or are you doing this to make friends?" She asked as Ayanokouji finished talking to the red-haired guy. I really need to find out his name.

"I didn't care about making friends. I just wanted to help. No big deal."

"You don't seem to be afraid."

"Afraid? Why? Because he looks like a delinquent?"

"A normal person would try to keep someone like him at a distance, right?" She looked at me.

"I guess? I don't really care to be honest." I stated.

"But he doesn't seem like a bad person to me. And you don't appear to be scared either, Horikita." Ah, so that's her name.

Horikita briefly gave us an exasperated look before responding.

"It's mostly defenseless people who stay away from those types. If he acted violently, I could rebuff him. That's why I don't withdraw."

Horikita seems to be confident in her skills. Good for her.

"Let's finish our shopping. We'll be a bother to the other students if we dawdle," Horkita stated.

We waited in line to pay for our items when Ayanokouji spoke up.

"How does the school benefit from giving us this much money?"

Huh, so we thought the same thing.

"I wonder. The campus has more than enough facilities for the number of students, and I wouldn't think it necessary to hand out so much. Students who should be studying might slack off."

"Indeed, for a school that supposedly cultivates future leaders. It certainly makes the lives of its students easy." I added.

They both nodded in response.

"I won't tell the two of you what to do, but I think it would be best to avoid wasting your money. It's difficult to fix frivolous spending habits. Once a person gets used to an easy life, they find they need more and more. When you lose it, the shock can be great," Horikita stated.

"Yeah."

"I'll keep that in mind."

She didn't have to tell me in the first place. I wasn't the type to waste money.

When we left the store, Ayanokouji approached the red-haired guy holding a noddle cup.

"Are you really going to eat here?" Ayanokouji asked him.

"Of course. It's just common sense."

Well, it was common sense for him, not for us. Horkita sighed exasperatedly beside me.

"I'm going back. I'll be stripped of my dignity if I spend more time here," she said as she turned to me. "I recommend you do the same."

"Al—"

"What do you mean, 'dignity'? We're just high school students. We're ordinary. Or, what, are you the high-born daughter of some noble family or something?"

Horikita didn't react and kept walking.

"Huh? Hey, listen to people when they're talking to you! Hey!"

"What's his problem? He just suddenly got angry." Horikita said this to Ayanokouji and me, completely ignoring the other guy.

"Hey, get over here! I'll smack that smug look off your face!" the red-haired guy yelled.

"Look, I'll admit that Horkita had a bad attitude, but you're taking this too far." Ayanokouji tried to calm him down.

"Huh? What was that? She has a bratty, obnoxious attitude. That's bad, especially for a girl!"

"For a girl? That's rather outdated thinking. Ayanokouji, I would advise you not to become his friend," As soon as Horikita said that, she started walking away. I decided to follow after her.

"Hey, wait! You shitty girl!" He yelled as Ayanokouji restrained him.

That was...something, to say the least. It seems that that guy has anger issues. I hope he doesn't get our class into trouble.

"Oh, I'm Kawasaki Rei, if you didn't know."

I might as well introduce myself to her now. After all, we're seatmates.

"You're introducing yourself now?" She asked incredulously.

I shrugged. "Might as well."

She sighed, debating whether or not to tell me her name. "I'm Horkita Suzune."

"Good to know." I plainly stated.

To be honest, I had only introduced myself out of courtesy. Her previous correct statement still frightens me. Was she some kind of esper?

"Huh, looks nice enough." I muttered.

I made my way to the dorm after the whole convenience store incident. I had expected Horikita to break off and go to the girl's dormitory. But to my surprise, we went in the same direction. It quickly became clear that the school had co-ed dormitories. Fortunately, the floors were still divided by gender. That meant that I wouldn't have to deal with the possibility of being Horkita's neighbor. Could you imagine seeing Horkita's angry glare every morning? I shuddered at the thought.

Once I entered and checked in, I was given a handbook and a keycard for Room 410.

As I walked to my room, I was reading the manual. It advised us not to waste water, electricity, or other basic resources. I was a little surprised to see that they didn't deduct points for electricity. Was this an effective method of educating students? The school was too lenient. It's almost as if... No, I'm probably overthinking things.

As soon as I shut the door behind me, I began unpacking. I didn't have much to begin with. As previously stated, I have no particular interests, so the only thing I have with me are clothes. I wouldn't mind getting a couple of plants to liven up the space.

After I finished unpacking, I took a look around my room. It was depressingly empty. Anyone entering would undoubtedly feel bad for me. It's not like anyone would be in my room to begin with.

The reality of my situation hit me as I was eating the cup noodles I had purchased. I'd be staying here for three years. Three years without any outside contact. Having this much freedom was surreal. Unfortunately, the majority of people take it for granted.

For many people, freedom is a given; they have never had to fight for it. As a result, they may not fully appreciate the value and significance of the freedom they enjoy. Most people are unaware that freedom is not an inherent aspect of human society. It took careful planning, hard work, and a long-term commitment to upholding the principles of liberty and justice to achieve the freedom we now enjoy. If history has taught us anything, it is that freedom is not a permanent state; even the most stalwart and well-established democracies can falter and fail. Ironically, some people are aware of restrictions on freedom in other countries but believe that such restrictions would never occur in their own country.

Having said that, I wasn't going to take it for granted. I intended to make the most of my three years here.

[Vol 1] Chapter 3: The Student Club Fair

When you choose your friends, don't be short-changed by choosing personality over character. –W. Somerset Maugham

Our first day of classes had officially begun. The majority of our class period was spent with teachers outlining our courses. To nobody's surprise, the red-haired guy was asleep the whole time. I would have expected the teachers to chastise him, but they didn't. I suppose that we have freedom in the classroom as well.

The majority of people started to leave as soon as lunchtime arrived. I would have invited Kushida, but she appears to be going with some female friends.

"I really need some friends." I muttered.

"You see? If you're desperate for friends, go talk to Kawasaki-kun."

It was Horkita who said this. My name came up in her conversation with Ayanokouji.

"Why are you dragging my name into this?"

"Why not? You two are complaining about not having friends, so it makes sense." She turned to Ayanokouji. "Go on and leave me alone."

Both Ayanokouji and I shared a look.

"Wouldn't it just be awkward?" said Ayanokouji.

I nodded my head. I could see Horikita's point, but two loners like us won't have much to talk about. No offense.

"Being picky now, are we? You won't ever make friends that way." Horkita harshly commented.

"Gee, thanks." I told her.

Is she incapable of being nice? If my self-esteem were a percentage, it would almost certainly be negative.

"Well, I was thinking of heading to the cafeteria. Anyone want to come with me?" Hirata announced to the class.

"I'll go, too!"

"Me, too! Me too!"

The girls appeared excited about joining him for lunch. I genuinely feel sorry for Hirata. Having a lot of girls fawn over you and being unable to interact with your fellow male students must be awful.

"Does anyone else want to come?"

Hirata seemed to also realize this and looked around the room to invite a boy. His eyes landed on me, but I quickly shook my head. If it hadn't been for the girls, I would have gone without a doubt. They'd probably be furious for ruining their time with Hirata.

Hirata gave me a strained smile. His eyes quickly landed on Ayanokouji, and he began to speak.

"Hey, Ayano—"

"Come on. Hurry up, Hirata-kun!"

Ouch, that must suck. Hirata appeared to have been interrupted by a blond-haired girl, leaving Ayanokouji hanging. He tried to play it off by scratching his head, but it was painfully obvious to anyone watching that this was not the case.

Huh, this bread is really good.

"At five PM Japan Standard Time today, we will be holding a student club fair in Gymnasium No. 1. Students interested in joining a club, please gather in Gymnasium No. 1."

An announcement came during lunch. Should I go check it out? After all, clubs play a big role in high school life. Might as well.

"Lot of people here," I muttered.

After classes had ended, I decided to check out the club fair. It was fairly crowded; there were probably more than 100 students present.

I grabbed a pamphlet and looked through it. It listed the clubs that were available as well as their activities. They had all types of clubs, ranging from swimming to chess.

"Thank you all for waiting, first-year students. We will now begin the club fair. A representative from each club will explain their function. My name is Tachibana, the student council secretary and the club fair's organizer. It's nice to meet you all."

Tachibana seems to be the voice from the announcements. True, a diverse group of students took the stage.

"Hello, my name is Hashigaki, the captain of the archery club. Many students may be under the impression that archery is an old-fashioned, simple activity, but it is actually a fun and rewarding sport. We welcome beginners with open arms. If you're interested, please consider joining."

The club for archery was the first to go. I thought about possibly joining. They accepted beginners after all. However, I believe that joining out of curiosity rather than interest would be disrespectful to the club, so I decided to abandon that thought.

Club after club presented itself. There were clubs for photography, judo, cooking, art, and just about anything else you could think of.

After that was finished, one sole senior stood alone on the stage. He had black hair, glasses, and a sharp gaze similar to Horikita's. He just stood there looking around, saying nothing. Did he have stage fright? If he did, it wasn't obvious from his expression.

"Do your best!"

"Did you forget to bring your notecards?"

"Ha ha ha ha ha!"

Concern, support, and insults were all thrown around. However, the comments and laughter had no effect on him. Was he waiting for something? After a while, the laughter subsided and was replaced by a tense, silent atmosphere. It was at this point that he decided to speak.

"I'm the student council president. My name is Horikita Manabu," he said.

It looks like I was correct. They had to be related to each other.

"The student council is looking to recruit potential candidates among the first-year students to replace the graduating third years. Although no special qualifications are required for candidacy, we humbly ask that those considering application not be involved in other club activities. We generally do not accept students involved elsewhere."

Horkita Manubu had effectively silenced all of the first years by himself, putting aside the fact that he is the student council president. What was even more impressive was that he did it without saying a word.

"Furthermore, we in the student council do not wish to appoint anyone who possesses a naive outlook. Not only would such a person not be elected, he or she would sully the sanctity of this school. It is the student council's right and duty to enforce and amend the rules, but the school expects more than that. We gladly welcome those of you who understand this."

He walked off the stage and left us, the audience, speechless. No one said anything because his speech was so powerful.

"Thank you all for coming. The club fair has ended. We will now open the reception area to anyone interested in signing up. Also, registration will be open until the end of April, so if any student wishes to join at a later date, we ask that you please bring the application form directly to the club you wish to join."

Tachibana, thankfully, arrived to relieve the tension. The majority of people began going around and applying to clubs that piqued their interest. I was about to leave when I ran into familiar faces.

"Are you guys joining a club?" I said.

"Huh? Who are you?" The red-haired guy questioned me.

"I was there with you and Ayankouji in the convenience store, remember?"

He seemed lost in thought, trying to remember who I was.

"I remember now. You're the guy who was with that girl! What, did your girlfriend tell you to scold me?"

He seems to have misunderstood my relationship with Horikita.

"Oh, man! You already have a girlfriend?!" Ike stated.

Oh no, it was spreading. I have to put an end to this quickly.

"Of course not! Horikita terrifies me!" I said.

"Oh, sorry then."

The red-haired-guy rubbed the back of his sheepishly.

"I'm Sudo by the way."

I finally know his name

"I'm Kawasaki."

I gave Ayanokouji a wave, to which he responded with a nod.

"Anyway, like I was saying..." Ike said.

I guess they forgot about my question. I'm just trying to be social.

"I want to get my first girlfriend in Class D. That's why I'm keeping my eyes open for that fateful encounter."

It looks like they were talking about love. I wonder if I can do the same. Find a girlfriend, I mean.

"By the way, I made a group chat for the guys yesterday." Ike proceeded to take his phone out. "Do you guys want to join in, too? It's pretty handy."

"Huh? Me too? Is that okay?" Ayanokouji asked, surprised at the invitation.

"Of course it's okay. We're all in Class D together, after all."

I took out my phone and accepted the invitation. It looked like I've made new friends now. Things seem to be looking good.

[Vol 1] Chapter 4: The Swimming Pool Fiasco

Hide not your talents. They for use were made. What's a sundial in the shade? –Benjamin Franklin.

I was wrong. Things are not looking good. My new "friends" were currently engaged in a conversation that I had no intention of joining.

"Ah ha ha! This school is just the best! I can't believe that it's almost time for swimming! And when I say swimming, I mean girls. And when I say girls, I mean girls in school swimsuits!"

Yamauchi had come into the classroom shouting over his excitement at seeing the girls in swimsuits. He was completely unaware of the girls' disgusted retreat from him. I chose to stay in my seat and listen in on their conversation. That's how loud they were.

"Hey, Professor! Come here for a sec!"

"Uh, you called?"

Ike had called over Sotomura, a chubby boy.

"Professor, can you record the girls wearing their swimsuits for us?" Ike asked.

"Leave it to me. I'll pretend to be sick so that I can skip class and observe."

They were setting themselves up for failure.

" Record? What are you planning?"

Surprisingly, Ayanokouji joined the conversation.

"The Professor is going to rank the girls' breast sizes for us. If we're lucky, he'll get some pictures with his phone."

"Hey, hey." Thankfully, Sudo seemed to have some common sense. He backed away when he heard Ike's plan.

"Pathetic,"

Horikita had arrived to tell Ayanokouji that single word.

I stopped listening to the conversation and instead directed my focus to my neighbor, Sakura.

"Hey, Sakura."

"H-Huh? I-Is something wrong, K-Kawasaki-kun?" Sakura stuttered.

"Are you going to be okay? You know, with them?" I said as I looked at Ike and the others.

"O-oh, I-I wasn't planning to join in the first place..." She answered.

"That's good. As long as you're comfortable." I said.

I found myself wanting to protect her for some reason. I suppose I could sympathize with not being able to do something you want. That no matter how hard you worked, there was nothing to show for it. Sakura is a nervous, shy girl. I doubt she wishes to remain that way.

"Hey, Ayanokouji!" Ike said. "You too, Kawasaki!"

"No thanks. Whatever it is, I'm not joining."

"Wh-what is it?" Ayanokouji asked.

Seriously, do you guys not notice the girls glaring at you? Then again, why do I care? It's their choice, not mine.

"Whoa, this school is something else! It's even better than the city pool, don't you think?" Ike cried out.

After changing, we went out and admired the pool. It appeared to be of excellent quality. I'm curious how much it costs to maintain.

"What about the girls? Aren't they here yet?" Ike took a sniff, as though he could smell where the girls were.

"They take a while to change, so they're probably not ready," Ayanokouji stated.

"Hey, I wonder what would happen if I just suddenly jumped into the girls' locker room?" Ike said.

"They'd gang up on you, beat the crap out of you, and then file charges, probably."

"Don't give me such a realistic, deadpan answer and ruin my fun!"

"You'd probably serve some jail time as well," I said, deciding to join in.

"No! Don't say that!" Ike fell to his knees. Evidently, the thought of such a thing was enough to frighten him.

"Also, the girls would sense you staring at them and will probably hate you.

"But come on!" Ike said as he stood back up. "There isn't a guy out there who wouldn't stare! Agh. What am I gonna do if I get a boner?"

Not get one?

For someone who wants a girlfriend, he sure isn't putting much effort into making himself look like a decent person.

"Wow! It's so spacious! It's so much bigger than the pool at my junior high school."

The voice of a girl was heard, which probably meant that the girls were done changing.

"A-are they here?!"

Ike acted like a predator, waiting for his prey to approach him. I backed up a little so I wasn't too close to him. Something unexpected happened, much to Ike's dismay.

"Hasebe isn't here! Wh-what's going on, Professor?!"

Sotomura looked around in a panic. Because he was on the second floor, he should have seen the girls as soon as they walked out. But he didn't, so where were they? Ah, I see.

"B-behind you, Professor!"

"What?!"

Ike had pointed and shouted. When they all came out on the second floor, the girls surrounded Sotomura. Sakura was there too.

"Wh-what's going on? How did this happen?"

Ike fell to the ground once again. He genuinely believed his strategy would work.

"Your plan failed, Ike. Get over it." I told him.

"But this was my chance! My chance to see big tits! The Big Tits!"

His cries were heard by Hasebe.

"Gross," Hasebe and the girls muttered. Oh well, I did say they would despise him.

"Ike, don't be sad! Come on, there are still tons of girls out there for us!" Yamauchi comforted Ike.

"Y-yeah, that's right. You got a point. I can't get down in the dumps now!" Ike cried.

"Bro!" Ike and Yamauchi clasped their hands together like girls.

"What are you two doing? That looks like fun."

"K-K-Kushida-chan?!"

Suddenly, Kushida arrived. She had caught the attention of all the boys, including mine. However, I and the other boys quickly turned away. There are drawbacks to gazing at something like this...

"Why the pained expression?" Horikita had a suspicious look on her face as she looked at us.

"I'm currently in the midst of an internal battle,"

"What he said," I stated.

"..."

Horikita started looking us over.

"Ayanokouji-kun, Kawasaki-kun. Do you both exercise?" she asked.

"Huh? No, not really. I'm not particularly proud of this, but in middle school I was the kid who never had any after-school plans." Ayankouji said.

"Well, you say that, but... judging from the development of your forearms and your back muscles, you seem above average."

"I guess my parents blessed me with good genes?"

"Is that so?" Horkita asked incredulously. "What's your excuse?" she said, looking at me.

"I did the bare minimum."

"Bare minimum? You don't expect me to believe that, do you?" she asked.

"What am I supposed to say, that I trained every day? I wish I had the time to do something like that."

Her eyes narrowed. She was about to say something else when Kushida interrupted.

"Are you a good swimmer, Horikita-san?"

Horkita appeared perplexed to have been asked such a question.

"I wouldn't say I'm particularly good or bad at it." she quietly answered.

"I was really bad at swimming when I was in junior high. But I gave it all and practiced really hard, and now I think I've gotten better," Kushida said.

"I see." Horkita backed away, effectively ending the conversation.

"All right, everyone, line up!"

A middle-aged man gathered everyone up and started the class.

"There are sixteen of you, huh? I thought there would've been more, but this is all right. After you warm up, I want to see what you can really do. Swim for me," the coach said.

"Excuse me, sir. I can't really swim, though..."

A young boy spoke up and raised his hand.

"Since you have me as your teacher, you'll be swimming by summertime. Don't you worry about a thing."

"Well, we don't really need to force ourselves to swim, do we? It's not like we're going to the beach or anything."

"No way. I don't mind at all if you're bad at swimming now, but I'll make sure you guys are winners in the end. Besides, being able to swim will definitely come in handy later in life. Definitely."

He did have a valid point. If this school is meant to develop future leaders, its students should be familiar with basic survival skills. But there was one thing that bothered me: he said we'd be swimming by summer. Is there any significance to that? Couldn't he have just said we'd learn to swim and left it at that? I quickly dismissed the possibility that it was more than that. Most likely, he was simply praising his abilities as a teacher.

Ike kept sneaking glances at the girls while we were performing some warm-up exercises. Dude...

I began to wonder why I had even started speaking to him in the first place. He doesn't seem to be bad person, he just has...different priorities.

"He he he, that was an easy win for me. Did you all see my super swimming skills?" Ike yelled.

Ike had finished his fifty meters and was wearing a smug grin. What was super about it? And we're not even competing!

"Well, it looks like everyone can swim, for the most part."

"Of course, sir. Back in junior high, people called me 'the flying fish,' you know?"

I highly doubt that.

"I see. In that case, I'll have you start competing against each other. We'll separate groups by gender. Fifty-meter freestyle."

"C-compete?! Are you serious?" Ike cried. Where did that confidence go, Ike?

"I'll give out a special bonus to the first-place winner: 5000 points. The student who comes in last place, however, will have to take supplementary lessons. Get ready."

The happiness of those who couldn't swim was gone in an instant. Those who did, however, were ecstatic at the prospect of getting points.

"Because we don't have very many girls, I'll split you into two groups of five people, and the student with the fastest overall time will be the winner. As for the boys, I'll look at the top five finishing times and then move on to a final round."

Since there were only ten girls competing, they went first. The boys, sitting on the sidelines, did what they did best: stare at every inch of the girls' bodies.

"Kushida-chan, Kushida-chan, Kushida-chan, Kushida-chan, Kushida-chan. Haaaaaaa..."

Ike had lost it. He was muttering Kushida's name over and over.

"You're scaring everyone, Ike, settle down," Ayanokouji told him.

"B-but, Kushida-chan is so goddamn cute, isn't she? And her breasts are pretty big, too!"

I gave him a deadpan look. I had no intention of saying anything. I doubt that he would take my advice. Also, I doubt that saying a girl's breasts are huge is an acceptable thing to say out loud.

"Everyone, burn these images into your mind! Remember the fap material you see here today!" Ike cried.

"Yeah!" everyone shouted.

It seemed the boys had unanimously agreed that this was something worth shouting for. Of course, the exceptions were Hirata, Ayanokouji, and me. Hirata looked away out of respect, and Ayanokouji...didn't seem to care. He probably doesn't like trouble. Not that I blame him.

The whistle blew, signaling the start of the girls' first race. Horkita swam like an expert and finished first.

"Wow! Awesome, Horikita!"

Cheers from the boys could be heard. They weren't really cheering for swimming skills, though. They were instead more focused on staring at her butt.

Horikita finished with a time of around twenty-eight seconds. She didn't even some out of breath when she got out the pool.

"Whoo!"

"Yeah!"

"Kushida-chan!"

The second race was about to begin. Kushida, being the most popular girl in the class, received a variety of compliments from the boys.

When the second race ended, a girl named Onodera finished first with a time of twenty-six seconds, while Kushida finished at about thirty-one seconds, which was still good. She ended up taking fourth place. Unfortunately for Horkita, Onodera had managed to finish faster, making Horikita second.

I noticed that Ayanokouji had gone to talk to Horikita. Probably to congratulate her or something. They were kind of close, now that I think about it. I've seen them together a lot of times.

Soon after, it was the boys' turn. I lined up with the boys. It seemed that the contenders for first place were either Sudo or Hirata.

Despite my efforts, I ended up in sixth place with a time of twenty-nine seconds. Meanwhile...

"Wow, you're amazing, Sudo. You finished the race in twenty-five seconds!" people cried out.

"Sudo, won't you consider joining the swim team? If you practice, you could probably win at competitions!" Onodera, who was part of the swim team, asked him.

"Basketball is my only sport. Swimming's just for fun." Sudo calmly stated.

"Oh, wow, he has absolutely outstanding motor skills."

Ike, clearly jealous, elbowed Sudo.

"Kya!"

The girls screamed in joy as Hirata took his starting position. Ike and Sudo weren't very pleased with the attention he was getting.

"I'm going to blow you out of the water. I'll use all of my power," Sudo growled.

"Didn't you say you only swam for fun?" I asked.

"Crushing him is the fun," he responded.

Well, if he finds that fun, who am I to stop him?

When the teacher blew the whistle, Hirata dove into the water with grace and managed to finish in first place in his race.

"He's surprisingly fast," Sudo commented.

Indeed, Hirata was fast. But it didn't surprise me all that much. I figured that Hirata was the type of guy who could do anything if he wanted.

"Sensei, what was his time?" Ike asked.

"Hirata's time was...26.13 seconds."

"All right. You can do it, Sudo. You can definitely win against him! Bring down the hammer of justice!"

"Leave it to me. I'll demolish him and his popularity..."

I mean, I'm glad Sudo's pumped up, but I doubt that beating Hirata would impact his popularity at all.

"Hirata-kun, you were so cool! You're not just good at soccer, you're really good at swimming!" One girl cried.

"You think so? Thank you!" Hirata gave his thanks.

"Hey, why are you ogling Hirata-kun like that?" Another girl said.

"Huh? I'm 'ogling'?!"

It seems that some girls have started to become jealous of each other. I can't believe Hirata has to deal with this on a daily basis.

"Come on, girls, knock it off. Please don't fight over me. I belong to everyone. I want to be everyone's friend. Besides, what if someone who's better at swimming comes along?"

I doubt it. The best swimmers were Hirata and Sudo. I don't think there's another boy who could compete with those two.

"Hey. Uh, why is Kouenji wearing a speedo?"

"Wh-what?"

It seems that I spoke too soon. To be honest, I completely forgot about Kouenji. Weirdly enough, Kouenji was in fact wearing a speedo. With his narcissistic attitude, it's easy to deduce that he just wants to show off.

Kouenji took his stance at the starting line. His posture was that of an athlete, and he was much more muscular than Sudo. Everyone was shocked at this development.

"I'm not particularly interested in winning or losing...but I don't like losing," Sudo said. Wouldn't that mean you're interested in winning then?

"Whoa! Wow!"

As Kouenji dove into the pool, Sudo gave a surprised shout at his speed and aggressiveness. Hirata had a look of amazement. Nobody expected that he would dominate the race in this manner. The teacher had to take a second look at his stopwatch when Kouenji finished.

"23.22 seconds."

"My abdominal muscles, back muscles, and psoas major muscle seem to be in good shape, as usual. Not a bad performance," Kouenji said.

He had gotten out of the pool as if it were nothing. He appeared as if he had never actually swum.

"I'm fired up!" Sudo shouted.

Sensing this new challenger, Sudo was excited to compete. However, I don't think Sudo would win the race. As much as I don't want to admit it, Kouenji was way faster than him. I'll let him figure that out on his own, though.

"What do you think, Kawasaki-kun?"

"Hm? Oh, it's you, Kushida."

I was approached by Kushida. A few moments ago, I had seen her speaking with Ayanokouji.

"What do I think about what?" I asked.

"About the race, silly!" she exclaimed.

"Oh, well, it's obvious that Kouenji will win. No doubt about it."

"So confident!"

I thought the conversation was going to end there, but I was wrong.

"Say Kawasaki-kun...Do you workout?"

"Huh? What brought that up?" I asked.

"Well, I asked Ayanokouji-kun the same thing, and he said that he doesn't, so I was just wondering if you do."

Ah, so that was what this was about. This was the second time a girl had asked me about muscles. Is this how a girl feels like when a boy ogles her? It's uncomfortable.

"Not really. I just do the bare minimum." I answered.

"Really?" she asked incredulously.

"Yeah. It's nothing special."

"Well, if you say so, Kawasaki-kun," she said before leaving.

When I looked back at the race, it was already over. As expected, Kouenji won.

"Hey!"

"Huh?"

"You too!" Ike had come out of nowhere.

"What are you talking about?" I was genuinely confused.

"You know what I'm talking about."

"I really don't."

Ike got close to me and spoke in a low voice.

"You're aiming for Kushida-chan, aren't you? Well, don't. Cause I'm going for her!"

Ike stormed off. I guess he misunderstood what was going on. I had no intention of pursuing her as a romantic partner. Plus, I don't think Kushida would go out with someone who yells out loud about looking at tits.

[Vol 1] Chapter 5: Friends

The devil's finest trick is to persuade you that he does not exist. -Charles Baudelaire

"Horkita-san, would you like to come with us to a café today?"

"Not interested."

Kushida had tried to invite Horikita to hang out but was promptly rejected. Kushida maintained a smile on her face despite this, though.

This has become a common occurrence in recent days. Kushida would invite her only to have her turn her down. She kept trying over and over, and I have to admire her tenacity. I wouldn't have the mental energy to do that.

It reminded me of the wolf trying to blow down the third pig's brick home. It was impossible to do.

"I see. Well then, I'll try inviting you again another time."

"Wait, Kushida-san." I perked up as I heard that. Was she going to give it a go? "Don't invite me again. It's a bother," Horikita answered coldly.

Ouch. Couldn't she have been a tad bit nicer? Kushida, however, still didn't give up. "I'll invite you again."

Shortly after, Kushida left with her friends. I'm pretty sure one of them said something about hating Horikita. There was no doubt that her popularity was dwindling by the day—not that she cared in the first place.

"You two won't try to invite me places, right?" Horikita asked us.

"Nope. I understand your personality well enough. It's pointless to even try." Ayanokouji responded.

"Good. You?" she asked, looking at me.

"I'd rather not. I have nothing to gain by doing so." I said.

"I'm relieved to hear that."

Horikita left after saying that. I decided it was also a good time to go.

"Kawasaki-kun, can I talk to you for a minute?"

As I was about to leave, Hirata called out to me. I hadn't spoken to him since introductions.

"Sure, what happened?"

"It's about Horikita-san. I was wondering if you knew what was wrong. She always seems alone."

Well, I couldn't do much. If she wants to be alone, then there's nothing I can do. I do not want to get on her bad side.

"Sorry, Hirata. I don't know Horikita all that well." I told him.

"I see..."

"But you could talk to Ayanokouji. She talks to him more than me." Ayanokouji was just sitting absentmindedly at his desk.

"Sorry for taking up your time. Thanks for letting me know."

I gave Hirata a nod as he called out to Ayanokouji. I could understand Hirata's motivation for wanting to assist Horikita. But attempting to assist her was like walking through a minefield: it would only end in disaster.

When I left the classroom, I intended to spend some time relaxing in my room. However, a voice called out to me.

"Oh, Kawasaki-kun!"

"Hm? Kushida?"

I noticed her as I walked by, but I assumed she was waiting for a friend.

"I wanted to talk to you as well!" she said.

As well? Was there someone else she wanted here right now?

"About what?" I asked.

"Well, I wanted to wait for someone else to get here fir—Oh, Ayanokouji-kun! Over here!"

Kushida called out to Ayanokouji, who was walking to the dorms as well. I had a feeling I already knew what the conversation was about.

"Huh? Me?" he asked, surprised.

"Of course! "I need both of you to help me!" she exclaimed.

"A-alright."

"Okay, I'll ask you both outright. Have you ever seen Horikita-san smile?"

My suspicions were confirmed. This was about Horikita. I didn't want to interact with Horikita any more than was absolutely necessary, but since I wasn't going to do anything today, I might as well hear her out.

"Huh? No, not that I can remember." Ayanokouji answered first.

"No, she always has an angry expression," I said. The image of her glare is still fresh in my mind.

"The thing is...I want to become friends with Horikita-san," Kushida said.

"I think she guesses your feelings. At first, a lot of people tried reaching out to her, but now you're the only one."

"You seem to know Horikita-san pretty well, Ayankouji-kun."

"It's not like I'm watching her or anything, it's just that you tend to learn a lot about the person who sits next to you." he said.

"Agreed. Horkita's responses are fairly predictable, so it's not difficult to understand her." I said. Getting her to be nice was hard, though.

"B-But..."

"Didn't Horikita already warn you not to try again? I don't know what you can say to her next time," he said.

"Won't you...help me?"She asked Ayanokouji.

"Uh..."

Wow, Kushida was giving him puppy eyes. Was he going to be able to hold out?

"I understand how you feel, Kushida, but..."

"So that means...you can't?"

Ayanokouji was fighting an internal battle that he would almost certainly lose. I mean, look at her eyes! No one could resist that!

"Well, I guess I don't have a choice. Just this once, okay?" he said, giving in.

"Really?! Oh, thank you, Ayanokouji-kun!" Kushida cried out.

Kushida was excitedly jumping up and down. I couldn't believe someone could be so enthusiastic about making new friends. I guess that's just Kushida's nature.

"What about you, Kawasaki-kun?" she turned to me.

Uh-oh. I was so engrossed in seeing how Ayanokouji would react that I forgot that she called me here to ask for my help as well.

"I..."

I hesitated. What did I stand to gain from this? Then it hit me. If Kushida's plan comes to fruition, Horikita may become a much nicer person. Which will benefit me in the long run! No more dealing with her angry glare!

"...I'll help."

"Yay! Thank you!" she cried.

Plus, I'd be helping out a friend, and a cute one at that.

"So, what exactly are we going to do? Even if you say you want to be friends with her, it's not that simple." Ayanokouji spoke up.

"You're probably right... Well, first, I think we should try to make Horikita-san smile," Kushida said.

"Make her smile, huh?" he said.

"It's going to be hard." I said.

To say it was difficult would be an understatement. It was impossible to invite her out, so making her smile should be equally challenging.

"Do you have an idea how?" Ayanokouji took the words out of my mouth.

"Well, I thought that the two could help think of something." Kushida smiled while she lightly smacked her head. How can she be this adorable?

"Hmm. What about a café? Girls like those, right?" I said.

"Oh! That might work!" Kushida exclaimed.

To be honest, I only remembered the café because I had been wanting to go there since school started. The food there looked appetizing...

"Sounds good, but we might need help from your friends, Kushida." Ayanokouji stated.

"Alright! Sounds like a plan! I'm excited to see the result!"

"You should invite Horkita, Ayanokouji." I said.

"Me? Why?" he asked, bewildered.

"Yeah, I think Horikita-san trusts you a lot, Ayankouji-kun." Kushida said.

"I mean, she talks to you more than us two." I said.

"It was just a coincidence that we met; after all, we are seatmates," he said.

"But isn't every person you meet for the first time a coincidence? And you never know, they could eventually become your boyfriend, girlfriend, or family."

"That's true." he said.

Huh. She's right. I've never thought about it that way. It's strange to think that meeting one person can change the course of your life for the better or for the worse. In a way, strangers are unknown variables. Unpredictable.

The next day, after classes had ended, we enacted our plan. Kushida gave Ayanokouji a glance, signaling him to go ahead.

"Hey, Horikita. Do you have some free time after class today?" he asked.

"I don't have any time to waste. I have to go back to the dormitory and prepare for tomorrow."

I highly doubt that.

"I wanted you to go somewhere with me for a little bit."

"What are you after?"

"Do you think that by inviting you out, I'm after something?"

"Well, when you invite me so suddenly, I naturally have my doubts. However, if there is a specific matter that you wish to discuss, I wouldn't mind listening."

"Well, you know that café on campus? The one with a ton of girls? I don't have the guts to go there all by myself. I kind of get the feeling that guys are banned from entering there or something. Don't you?"

At this point, Kushida gave me look, signaling me that it was my turn to jump in.

"I agree!" I suddenly shouted.

Horikita looked at me, confused.

"Sorry, I was listening to your conversation. I was wondering if I could join you guys." I asked.

Horikita's eyes narrowed at me, suspicious of my sudden outburst.

"Why don't you go with Ayanokouji, then?" she asked.

"It would just be awkward, and that defeats the purpose, right?"

"Right..." Horikita said with a voice of doubt.

"Plus, you don't want people thinking that you and Ayanokouji are a couple, right?

Horikita gave me a dirty look. It seems that I completed my part successfully.

"Fine. I'll go, but don't ever say that again, or I'll have to punish you."

"Punish me?!"

"Oh? You want me to show you?"

"N-no, I understand."

Horikita had pulled out a compass with a sharp end and pointed it at me. I would rather not die at the age of sixteen.

We three went to Palate, a café on the first floor. Every corner of the café was filled with girls.

"There are so many people here," Horikita said.

"You understand why we were hesitant to come alone?" I said.

"I can see why you wouldn't." she replied.

"Is this your first time doing anything social, Horikita? Oh, yeah, I suppose it would be. You're always alone."

"Was that supposed to be sarcastic? How childish."

Ayanokouji had tried to tease Horikita, but his monotonous voice made it difficult to tell. We walked up to the counter and placed our orders. There were several options for ordering, but I ultimately chose a parfait. It looked interesting, to say the least.

"Do you like sweets?" she asked us.

"I just wanted to have pancakes." Ayanokouji responded.

"I wanted to try a parfait. They look colorful." I said.

Would it be bad to say that I've never had parfait? I've never had the opportunity to hang out with friends, so this would be my first time. I'm excited to try it out.

"There aren't any open seats, though." she said.

"I guess we'll just have to wait a bit. Never mind. Some girls left," he said.

We walked over to the table and took our seats. We sat there for a while, waiting for our food to arrive. Horikita, as usual, wore a cold expression. I couldn't help but wonder how she acted when she was younger. My mind was filled with images of a younger Horikita with a cheerful smile. It was cute.

"Let's go,"

Some of the girls near our tables stood up and walked away. Let's hope this works...

"Ah, Horikita-san. What a coincidence! Oh! Ayanokouji-kun and Kawasaki-kun as well!" Kushida had arrived and sat down near us.

Kushida did her part wonderfully. She seemed surprised at us being here, just like we planned. Horikita, on the other hand, looked at the three of us with narrowed eyes. Uh-oh...

"Did you all come here together?" Kushida asked.

"Yeah, we just happened to. Did you come by yourself?" Ayanokouji took control of the conversation.

"Yeah. Today, I—"

"I'm leaving," Horikita said.

"W-wait, what about your food?" I attempted to save the failing mission.

"I don't care. You have Kushida-san now, so you don't need me, right?"

"Hold on, that's not a problem. Kushida is just a classmate." Ayanokouji said.

"We're all classmates, too. Besides..." Horikita gave us a cold stare. This was the absolute worst-case scenario. "I don't like this. What are you three plotting?"

"N-no, it was just a coincidence," Kushida said.

I had to give Kushida credit for trying to maintain the facade, but Horikita is a sharp girl. It's no surprise that she saw right through it.

"When we sat down earlier, I saw the two girls seated here were from Class D, along with the two girls seated next to us as well. Was that just a coincidence, too?"

Case in point.

"Oh, wow, really? I didn't notice at all," Kushida said.

"Also, we came straight here after classes ended. No matter how much those girls rushed, they could only have been here for about one or two minutes at the most. It was far too early for them to get up and leave. Am I wrong?"

"Um, well..." Even Kushida was bewildered at how observant Horikita was. She looked to us for assistance, but I had already accepted that we had failed. I'm sure Ayanokouji felt the same way.

"Sorry, Horikita. We planned this." he said.

"I thought as much. I thought this whole thing was a little suspicious right from the start."

"Horikita-san. Please be my friend!" It seemed that Kushida had also given up.

"I've already said this many times. I want you to leave me alone. I have no intention of becoming friends with anyone in class. Can you not understand that?" Horikita said.

"Always being alone is a very sad way to spend your life. I just want to get along with everyone in class."

"I wouldn't deny you your wish, but it's wrong to try forcing people into something against their will. Being alone doesn't make me sad."

"B-but..."

"Besides, do you think that I would be happy if you forced me to become your friend? Do you think that feelings of trust would arise out of something forced?"

Well, Stockholm syndrome was a thing, but she was right. Forcing someone into something doesn't exactly scream trust.

"It's my fault for not being clear enough with you, so I don't blame you this time. But if you try this again, please keep in mind that I will not forgive you."

Horikita stood up with the intention of leaving, her drink untouched.

"Horikita-san, whatever you say, I really want to be friends with you. When I saw you, I felt like it wasn't the first time we'd met. I wondered if you felt the same way," Kushida mumbled.

"This is a waste of time. I find everything you're saying unpleasant." Horikita didn't mince her words. She just said her honest thoughts on the situation.

"I kind of understand your thoughts on the matter, Horikita. I've actually often wondered if friends are really necessary." Ayanokouji decided to speak up.

" You're saying that? You've been trying to make friends since day one."

"I won't deny it. However, you and I are similar. I wasn't able to make friends until I came to this school. In junior high, I never knew anyone's contact information or hung out with anyone after class. I was always alone." Ayanokouji had surprised both me and Kushida.

His past was freakishly similar to mine. What a coincidence.

"I think that partly explains why I was compelled to talk to you." he said.

"Why don't you just give it a shot? You might become best friends." I said, deciding to jump in.

"Don't make me laugh. That's never going to happen. You two are the ones who want friends. I don't. I consider friendship unnecessary."

"Okay, but telling Kushida that she was being unpleasant is going too far. Are you okay with this? You'll be alone for the next three years. That doesn't sound comfortable." Ayanokouji said.

"This will be my ninth year of being alone, so I'll be fine. Oh, and if you include kindergarten, it would actually be slightly longer."

Horikita rejects the entire notion of friendship. If I hadn't heard it from her, I wouldn't have believed it. Humans are social creatures. Because friendships foster the development of crucial abilities like empathy and problem-solving, it is detrimental for a child to lack any kind of friendship, especially if they are in kindergarten.

"Can I go now?" Horikita asked.

She took a deep breath and looked right at Kushida.

"Kushida-san, if you don't try to force me into anything, I won't be rude. I promise. You're not stupid, so you understand what I'm telling you, right?"

Horikita took Kushida's silence as a yes and left.

"Well, we failed. It seems Horikita's too accustomed to being alone." said Ayanokouji.

"It's okay. Thank you, Ayanokouji-kun and Kawasaki-kun. I wasn't able to become her friend, but... I was able to learn something important. That's enough for me. I'm sorry, though. Horikita-san might hate the both of you because you two helped me."

"Don't worry about it. I just wanted Horikita to consider the benefits of friendship." he said.

"Well, I could say I did it out of pity. I too know how it feels to not have friends." I said.

"You too?! You two don't seem like the type of people to be alone. Why?"

"I don't know about Ayanokouji, but I just didn't have the time to go out and make friends. I was busy with other stuff. I have friends now, though." I said.

Ichinose, Kushida, and maybe Sakura are friends. Although, I haven't really talked to them that much. I guess I could also consider Sudo and Ike friends as well.

"I don't know if it was due to the circumstance I was in or what, but yeah, Sudo and Ike are the first friends I've ever made." Ayanokouji said.

"That's good to hear." She let out a relieved sigh. "But are you two happy with the friends you've got?"

"Yeah, sometimes it's annoying, but sometimes it's the happiest I've ever been." he said.

"I guess so. I do wish I could hang out with them more often." I said.

Who could I invite? Sakura is obviously a no-go. Ichinose and Kushida seem to be popular, so I doubt they would have time for someone like me. Maybe Sudo or Ike?

"Why are you desperate to be her friend? Don't you already have more friends than anyone else?" Ayanokouji said.

"I want to become friends with everyone. including everyone in Class D. If I can't become friends with one girl in my class, then it means that I can't ever accomplish my goal..." Kushida looked down sadly.

"I guess the only thing you can do is just wait for the right moment to strike." I said.

Horikita made it painfully obvious that forcing her to be friends with her was a bad idea, so the only thing Kushida could do was just wait for the friendship to come naturally.

[Vol 1] Chapter 6: The End Of Everyday Life

Ignorance is the primary source of all misery and vice. -Victor Cousin

While writing in my notebook, I sighed.

Less than a month had passed since the start of the school year. Three weeks, to be exact. Each individual had already formed their own groups. For example...

"Hey, hey, do you want to go to karaoke?"

"Yeah, let's go!"

They made friendship seem so simple, and I was a little envious of that. I want to hang out with some friends too! What I didn't envy was the fact that the majority of the class hasn't been paying attention or hasn't been here at all recently.

"Sup?" Sudo entered the classroom in the middle of the lesson and went directly to his seat. as if to prove my point.

"Oh, hey, Sudo. Wanna get lunch later?" Ike yelled at Sudo from across the room.

What was baffling was the fact that our teacher didn't seem to care either. I would have expected him to reprimand him, but he did not. I suppose it's a way of saying that we're about to become adults and that we should take responsibility for our own grades. Well, that's what I thought, anyway. Regardless, it was fascinating to watch a slightly reserved class devolve into the shambles that it is now. I wonder if the other classes have become like this as well. I hoped not.

Bzzt! Bzzt! My phone vibrated. When I looked to see what it was, I discovered it was from the group chat that Ike had invited the boys to. They said they were going to eat in the dining hall. This was actually the first normal message from that group in a while. They spent most of their time talking about girls and what they would do if they had a girlfriend.

"Whoa. Seriously, he has a girlfriend? Awesome."

Coincidentally, Ike started talking about someone having a girlfriend. I wasn't surprised to find out that it was Hirata. After all, he was probably the most popular boy in our grade. Karuizawa, a blonde-haired girl, was his girlfriend. She appeared to be the gyaru type. Well, whatever makes him happy, I guess.

So that's what it's like to be in love, huh?

Karuizawa was staring at Hirata with loving eyes from her seat. I sighed.

"You're pathetic as well, you realize that, right?" Horikita had suddenly decided that it was a good time to insult me.

"Why me? Can't you tell that to someone else?"

I mean, Ayanokouji is right there. Why me and not him? No offense, Ayanokouji, but I'd rather not deal with her invective words.

"Ayanokouji-kun is already well aware of his own faults." She turned to look at him. "Isn't that right, Pervert-kun?"

"Hey... That's not nice..."

"You see? He didn't even try to deny it." she said.

I'm starting to regret introducing myself to her.

The third period had arrived, which meant Chabashira-sensei would be teaching history. I always thought she would make a better English teacher than a history teacher. She nailed the looks.

Nobody cared when she walked into the classroom. It was just as rowdy as it had always been.

"Quiet down a little, please. Today's lesson will be a bit serious."

"What do you mean, Sae-chan-sensei?"

I forgot to mention that they had already given her a nickname. I found that weird, but oh well.

"It's the end of the month, so we're going to have a short test. Please pass these to the back."

It was a single piece of paper. There were twenty questions in total, four for each of the five subjects.

"Huh? I wasn't listening, though. This is so unfair!"

A random student had cried out, which I found amusing. This is a school, and you were going to be tested on the material at some point; there is nothing unfair about that.

"Don't say that. This test is just for future reference. It won't be reflected in your report cards. There is no risk involved, so don't worry. Of course, cheating is prohibited."

Future reference? Were the findings going to be used to better educate us? I had my doubts. If it was used to better educate us, why haven't they said anything about tardiness, absences, or misbehavior?

I went over the questions and noticed that the majority of them were simple. The students weren't paying any attention at all, so I assumed that the school knew this and was lenient with them. The final few questions, though, were significantly more challenging.

"What are they evaluating with this...?"

I'm not sure how a first-year high school student is supposed to solve this. A second or third year might, but not a first year. Did they want to see if he had studied ahead? Eh, what do I care? In the end, it won't have any impact on our grades.

I saw Chabashira-sensei circling the room and keeping an eye on us. She must have been very serious about adhering to the "no cheating" policy.

Let's just get this over with, shall we?

"Come on, you guys can tell us. I'll forgive you if you do."

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

I was eating lunch with Ike and the others after the test when Ike suddenly wrapped his arm around me. His other arm was around Ayanokouji. What was he doing?

"We're all friends, right? Comrades that stick together through thick and thin?"

"Uh, yeah. I guess so." Ayanokouji said.

"Sure..." I said.

"So then, naturally...you would tell us if one of you got a girlfriend, right?"

"Huh? A girlfriend? Well, sure. If that happens, I will."

"I guess if you're that interested, I would tell you if I got one..." I said.

"Alright then." Ike looked at the both of us in suspicion. "Which one of you is going out with Horikita?! Come on, fess up!"

"Huh?"

"What?"

Ayanokouji and I were taken aback by the outrageous accusation. Where did he get that idea? Even worse, Sudo and Yamauchi were staring at us with suspicion! Don't believe him!

"Absolutely not. I'm not dating her." Ayanokouji responded.

"Hmm..." Ike gave Ayanokouji a long look before turning to face me. "Are you dating Horikita?"

"No! What evidence do you even have to say something like that?" I said.

"Well, the both of you are the only people that talk to her. Plus!" Ike pointed his finger at Ayanokouji. "He was talking to her all sneaky-like during class today!"

He was? Even after she called him, Pervert-kun?!

"I bet you were planning on going on a date or something like that!" Ike cried.

"It was nothing like that. Besides, Horikita isn't the dating type." Ayanokouji said.

"And if she was, do you think she would be dating someone like him? No offense, Ayanokouji." I said.

"None taken."

"Ah! You're right! No way she would date someone as gloomy as the both of you!"

Okay, Ike, that was just plain rude. And what do you mean, gloomy?!

"Anyway, she has a really cute face. That's why we noticed her."

The guys nodded in agreement.

"She has such an uptight personality, though. I don't like girls like her," Sudo, who still seemed bitter over what happened in the convenience store, remarked.

"Yeah. I'd rather go out with a cheerful girl who I can have an easy conversation with. But she has to be cute, just like Kushida-chan."

"Ahh. To go out with Kushida-chan...or rather, do naughty stuff with her!"

At this point, I stopped listening to their conversation. I'd rather not hear what they'd do if Kushida was their girlfriend. You're free to fantasize, but you don't have to let other people know.

I'm curious how Kushida would react if she were here. As nice as she can be, she would surely be disgusted at their behavior, right?

"Oh, yeah, isn't Hirata dating Karuizawa now?" Ayankouji's voice broke me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah, you're right. Hondou saw them holding hands just the other day!"

"Yeah, they're dating. No mistake about it. They were walking together, shoulder to shoulder."

"They were, huh? I wonder if they've already done naughty stuff together."

"Of course they have! Ah, I'm so jealous! I'm too jealous!"

The topic of relationships and sex came up once more in the conversation. If they focus too much on that, they'll drive the girls away. They'll alienate the girls if they put too much emphasis on that.

"Listen to me. I've got the most experience with sex and stuff," said Yamauchi.

"I think it'd be better to ask Hirata," Ike said.

"Do you honestly think that Hirata would give us the details? Like, if we asked about her breasts, or if she were a virgin, or things like that? Do you really think he'd tell us? Come on," Thankfully, Ayanokouji shut them up.

I left the scene as he said that. I didn't find any merit in listening to their conversation anymore. Plus, wouldn't discussing things like that over lunch be uncomfortable?

Luckily for me, they either didn't notice that I left or didn't care. That meant I still had time to kill before lunch was over.

"What to do...?"

I thought about looking for Ichinose and talking to her for a while. But she was probably with friends, and I felt like I'd be intruding. Plus, I didn't want to walk all over the place to find her.

I chose to simply observe the cafeteria instead. How people communicate and interact with one another intrigues me. In a group of friends, everyone has a role to play, is what I'm trying to say. There will always be a leader who typically initiates conversation and extends invitations. The advisor is a reliable information source who you can turn to if you ever find yourself in trouble. They might even adopt a mediating position. Thirdly, we have the comedian. They keep everyone laughing and upbeat by adding jokes and humor to the group. The listener, as the name suggests, simply listens to the conversation and complies with what the group says.

Upon reflection, I suppose I qualify as a listener. I don't really add much to the conversations I'm in. That's depressing.

"Oh? That's interesting..."

I found something interesting while attempting to divert my attention from my self-deprecating thoughts. There were a lot of upperclassmen eating the free lunch sets that the school served if students didn't have any points left..

I would have thought that because they already knew how the school worked, they would figure out a way to avoid having to eat subpar food. I mean, there's so much you can buy with 100,000 points each month that you'd eventually be satisfied with what you got, right?

Soon the bell rang, and I left the cafeteria with my troubling thoughts.

You coming too, Kawasaki? –Ike

I was staring at the text Ike sent me. Apparently, there was going to be a group outing with people from our class.

Sure. –Kawasaki

It was an opportunity to make new friends. Kushida was also going to be there, so it was bound to be enjoyable.

Kushida-chan is my target, so don't you two dare get in my way! –Ike

Ike had warned both myself and Ayanokouji. Why us two? Only he knows.

I put my phone away, knowing what was coming. Usually, when one of them talks about Kushida, they get into a big argument about who she belongs to and all that stuff. When class ended, I left with Ike, Yamauchi, and Ayanokouji. What happened to Kushida?

"We couldn't leave with Kushida even though we're in the same class, huh?" Ayanokouji said.

"She said she had to talk to a friend from another class. Kushida-chan is quite popular." Yamauchi explained.

"Do you think maybe she's talking to a boy?" Ike worriedly stated.

"Relax, Ike. I've already confirmed it. She's talking to a girl,"

Did he stalk her?

"All right, all right."

"Are you guys seriously going after Kushida?" Ayanokouji asked.

"Of course. She's my dream girl." Ike said.

"I don't think she would go out with someone like you, though," I said.

"What the hell?! Don't say that! Of course she would date someone like me. I look better than Ayanokouji, and he's going out with Horikita!" Ike said.

" Sigh. For the last time, I'm not dating Horikita." Ayanokouji said, exasperated.

"Oh, I get it! You want us to keep it a secret, right?"

Before Ayanokouji could respond, Kushida arrived.

"Sorry for being late, but thanks for waiting!"

"Oh, no worries, Kushida-chan! Hey, wait a second, why are they here?!" Ike's excitement vanished as he saw the two newcomers.

"Oh, I just happened to run into them on the way, so I thought I'd invite them along. Was that not okay?"

The two newcomers were Hirata and his new girlfriend, Karuizawa. Oh, and there were two girls behind them. Their names were Mori and Matsushita, I believe.

"Hey, don't we have some way of making Hirata go away?!" Ike pulled us into a circle and whispered to us.

"I don't think there's really any reason to make him leave," Ayanokouji said.

"Yeah, and what are you even worried about? Hirata already has Kaurizawa, I doubt he's the type of guy to cheat on his girlfriend." I said.

"You moron! Kushida is way cuter than Kaurizwa! That means that Hirata will eventually dump Kaurizawa over Kushida!"

What kind of logic is that? Also, he had been spitting at me at this point. I had to wipe myself with my blazer. Can they not tell how disgusting this is?

"Um, if we're a bother, perhaps we can just go separately?"

Hirata had noticed our private discussion and was starting to look uncomfortable.

"W-we don't really mind at all, do we? Right, Yamauchi?"

"Y-yeah. Let's all go together. The more the merrier, you know. Right, Ike?"

What a drastic attitude change! One minute they were arguing, and the next they were agreeing.

"Well, obviously, that was the idea. Why are you four whispering about us?"

Come on, I didn't say anything bad about you! Why lump me with them?!

"Well, here's my idea. If we include Hirata and Karuizawa, then we'll end up with one boy more than girls. So one of you will have to share a girl."

"So you have to share Yamauchi? That sucks, I'll go talk to Kushida-chan."

"What?! Don't screw with me! No way I'm sharing a girl, and I'm the one after Kushida-chan! We're going to get married under an old cherry blossom tree, exchanging vows like a sweet promise between childhood friends! It's fate!"

"You're full of crap! I've thought about doing that for a while now. You're a total liar!"

"Huh? It's all true, all of it!"

Once again, they devolved into fighting over Kushida. I was starting to get second-hand embarrassment from this.

I decided to strike up a conversation with one of the girls as we walked to our destination.

"I'm Kawasaki Rei. It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise. I'm Mori Nene."

Even though I already knew her name, it would be impolite not to introduce myself formally.

"What do you think of the school so far?" I asked.

"Well, it's really big, and it's nice because we get a lot of freedom."

"Yeah, that's true."

We talked for a while about trivial things. At some point, Kushida asked us where we wanted to go. It was nice to be able to hang out with friends. Was this what youth was about?

We eventually arrived in front of a clothing shop. It was the first time I'd been to one at this school. Apart from my school uniform, I realized I didn't have many clothes. Buying something to wear if I'm ever invited out again was probably a good idea.

A lot of people inside seemed to be in our grade. It was probably because they were exploring the shops. We explored the entire store. Karuizawa had purchased clothes worth over 30,000 points. I spent slightly more than 10,000 points on a white blazer and black pants.

After shopping, we went to a nearby café.

"Have you all gotten used to this school yet?'

"At first, I was really perplexed, but now I've settled in perfectly. It's like living in a dream. I don't ever want to graduate!" Ike said.

"Ha ha! I get the feeling Ike-kun is enjoying his time here to the fullest!"

"I just wish we had more points, you know? Maybe 200,000 or 300,000 a month? After buying cosmetics and clothes and stuff, I've already used up almost all of my points,"

300,000 points? That's more than $2,000 in US dollars. I don't think a high schooler should have that kind of money in the first place. And Karuizawa used her 100,000 points to buy clothes and makeup?

"Don't you think it's abnormal for a high school student to get 300,000 points as a monthly allowance?" Hirata acted as the voice of reason.

"Well, if you put it like that, yeah. Even 100,000 is pretty outlandish. I'm a little scared, to be honest. I'm worried about what life after graduation will be like if I keep on spending my school days like this."

"Do you mean you'll lose your sense of money management? Yeah, that does sound pretty scary, actually."

It was a valid concern. Suddenly losing that allowance once you've graduated will definitely mess you up.

"What about you two? Do you guys think that 100,000 points is a lot or not enough?" Kushida decided to ask us.

"Well, there's a lot that doesn't make sense to me about the whole points thing." I said.

"Huh?"

"I feel the same way. There's a lot I don't understand about either." Ayanokouji said.

"I understand where you're both coming from. This school is completely different from any other school. It's hard to know what's going on without all the details." Kushida said.

"No point in worrying about it, though. I'm just glad that I got into this school. I can just go out and buy whatever I want. In fact, yesterday I went out and bought some new clothes." Ike decided to look at the more positive side of things. It must be nice.

"Kushida-chan and Hirata aside, Ike, Kawasaki, Ayanokouji, and Karuizawa also managed to get into this place. Aren't you guys pretty dumb, though?"

Why was I included?

"You don't strike me as being very smart either, Yamauchi."

"Huh? I'll have you know that I scored 900 points on the APEC."

"What's the APEC?"

"You don't even know? It's a super tough test for English."

"Um, don't you mean the TOEIC, not APEC?"

Kushida corrected him. I was starting to doubt that he almost achieved a near-perfect score on that test.

"Th-they're related, though, aren't they?"

Nope, not even close.

"Well, this school's mission is to nurture young people who will pave the way for the future, right? So, they probably don't choose people solely on their test score. Honestly, if this school only took in people based on standardized tests, I wouldn't have taken the entrance exam."

"Yeah, yeah. Young people who will pave the way for the future. That's exactly how I'd describe myself." Ike had crossed his arms and had a smug look on his face.

Even though I found myself agreeing with the earlier statement, it raised a new question. If scores didn't matter, then how did the school select its students? Well, there was also an interview, but was it only based on that?

Once again, questions filled my head. I knew that worrying about something that might turn out to be trivial wasn't good. Who knows? We might get an answer one of these days...

[Vol 1] Chapter 7: Classroom Of The Elite

An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools. -Ernest Hemingway

It was the first of May. The class was filled with confusion and anxiety. Why? Our 100,000 points have yet to be deposited by the school.

The bell rang, and Chabashira-sensei appeared, holding a rolled-up poster. She had a very serious face. It was most likely related to the poster she was holding.

"Hey, sensei, did you start menopause or something?"

Ike blurted out, unconcerned about the possible consequences.

Seriously?

"All right, your morning homeroom is about to begin. Before we get started, does anyone have any questions? If so, now is the time to speak." Unbelievably, Chabashira-sensei ignored his remark and instead asked if we had questions, something she rarely did.

Almost everyone raised their hands. Everyone had the same question in mind.

"Um, I checked my point balance this morning, but I didn't see any deposits. Points are given on the first day of every month, aren't they? I couldn't buy justice this morning."

"Hondou, I already explained this before, didn't I? Points are deposited on the first day of the month. I've confirmed that points were wired this month without any issues."

"Um, but...nothing was deposited into my account, though."

I see. It was intentional then. I still had around 75,000 points left.

"Are you kids really that dumb?"

Her voice suddenly changed. Was she...mocking us?

"Dumb? What?"

"Sit down, Hondo. I'll explain once more," she said.

"S-Sae-chan-sensei?"

Everyone was taken aback by the abrupt change. Some people even became disillusioned with her now.

"Points were deposited. That much I know for certain. There is absolutely no chance that we forgot about anyone in this class. To think so is ludicrous. Understood?"

So my suspicions were correct. They were hiding something from us.

"Ha ha ha! I see. So, it's like that then, teacher? I think I've solved the mystery,"

Apparently, Kouenji had figured it out. With his feet on the desk, Kouenji pointed toward Hondo.

"It's simple. We're in Class D, so we didn't receive a single point."

"Huh? What are you talking about? They said we'd get 100,000 points every month—"

"I don't remember hearing that, though. Do you?" Kouenji asked Chabashira-sensei.

"While he certainly has an attitude problem, Kouenji is exactly right. For crying out loud, barely anyone seems to have noticed the hint I gave you. How deplorable."

Hint? When? Was it during our first homeroom?

Points are automatically deposited into your account on the first of every month. You should all have received 100,000 points already.

That's right...she never said we were getting 100,000 points next month. In fact, she glossed over it.

"Can you please tell us why we didn't receive any points? We won't completely understand otherwise." Hirata asked on behalf of the class.

"A total of ninety-eight absences and late arrivals. Three hundred ninety-one incidences of talking or using a cell phone in class. That is quite a few infractions over one month. In this school, your class's results are reflected in the points you receive. As a result, you wasted all of the 100,000 points that you should have received. That's what happened."

"I should have explained this all to you on the day of the entrance ceremony. This school measures its students' true abilities. This time, you were evaluated as being worth nothing. That's all."

What a bombshell. Things began to make sense, such as why they let us do whatever we wanted without consequence, why upperclassmen ate the free lunch set, and why free items were available every month. My head was starting to hurt.

"Chabashira-sensei. I do not recall hearing you explain that to us before—"

"What? Are you incapable of understanding something unless it's explained in detail?"

"Of course. There was never any talk about reducing our points. Had that been explained beforehand, I'm sure we would have avoided being late or talking during class."

"That is a rather bizarre argument, Hirata. It is certainly true that I don't recall explaining the rules of point distribution. However, didn't you all learn in elementary school not to be late or talk in class? Was that not taught throughout your elementary and junior high schools?'

"Well, that's—"

"I'm sure that in nine years of compulsory education, you learned that being late and talking in class are bad things. And now you say that you can't understand this because I haven't explained it to you? I'm afraid your reasoning is flimsy. If you had simply acted properly, then your points would not have dropped all the way to zero. This comes down to you taking personal responsibility."

Well, there was no arguing that. It was nothing but common sense, but why did the class not know that?

"Having just entered your first year of high school, did you honestly think you'd receive 100,000 points every month with no strings attached? At a school established by the Japanese government for the express purpose of training gifted people? That's unthinkable. Try using some common sense. Why would you leave it to chance?"

"Well then, could you at least explain in detail how points are added or deducted? We can keep that in mind for future reference." said Hirata, frustrated at the situation.

"I cannot tell you. We cannot disclose the methods behind our student evaluation. It's the same as any other organization. When you enter a company, it is the company's choice whether or not to tell you how it evaluates its employees. However, I'm not cruel, and I'm not trying to be cold. In fact, this situation is so pathetic that I will give you one bit of guidance."

"Let's say that you stop being late to class and have no more absences... Even though zero points will be deducted from you this month, that doesn't mean that your points will increase either. From another perspective, you could say that no matter how many times you're late or absent to class, it doesn't matter. So, you're not really at a loss, are you?"

"Tch..."

Despite her "guidance," all the students were visibly sad, angry, or frustrated. In essence, she was saying that there was nothing we could do to improve our point total. Despite that, I felt like there was a way to do so.

The bell rang. Homeroom had officially ended.

"It looks like we spent too much time yammering. I hope that you understood the gist of it. Well, it's about time that we switch to our main topic."

She stuck the poster she had on the blackboard with some magnets. Many students didn't care at this point.

"Are these...the results for each class?" I heard Horikita say, and it appeared that was the case.

Class A: 940

Class B: 650

Class C: 490

Class D: 0

However, there was something odd about it.

"Isn't something about this odd?"

"Yeah. The numbers look to even."

Ayankouji and Horikita were right. This couldn't be a coincidence. Could it be...

"You've all been doing whatever you pleased this past month. The school has no intention of preventing you from doing what you want. Your actions such as being late or talking during class, only affect the points you receive. The same goes for how you use your points. How you choose to spend is entirely up to you. We have not put any restrictions on point usage."

"This isn't fair, though! We can't enjoy our student lives like this!" Ike shouted.

This was the price for the freedom we had. Ike was wrong, though. It was fair. I'm guessing the other class wasn't told either, and they got more points than us. If anything, we're all failures as a group. However, the large disparity in points was troubling.

"Look here, morons. Every other class got points. The amount of points we gave you for the first month should be plenty for you to live on."

"B-but, how do the other classes still have points left? That's weird..."

"I've already told you, there's nothing unfair about it. All of the classes were scored using the same rules. Despite that, they didn't lose as many as you. That's the truth."

"But...why is there such a difference in our point values?" Hirata had finally asked the important question.

"Do you finally understand now? Do you see why you were placed in Class D?"

Why were we assigned to Class D? Class D...

"It's because we're defective or something like that...isn't it?" I voiced my thoughts. Everyone looked at me, puzzled, and some even angry. Chabashira-sensei looked at me with amusement.

"At least one of you has common sense!" she exclaimed, laughing.

"D-defective? What is that supposed to mean?!"

"Isn't that something? Even when someone tells you directly, you still don't get it. Truly amazing! Listen up! In this school, students are sorted by excellence. The superior students are sorted into Class A, and the least capable in Class D. It's the same system you'd find in the major cram schools. To put it simply, you are the worst of the worst. Defective, just like he said."

That explains the difference in behavior between Classes B and D.

I didn't really care what they labeled me. I was more concerned with eating the free lunches. They didn't look too good.

"However, I have to say, this year's Class D was the first to ever spend all of their points in a single month. I am impressed by how much you indulged yourselves. Wonderful, just wonderful."

Chabishira-sensei's sarcasm only made the students more furious.

"So, does that mean that once we reach zero points, we'll always stay there?"

"Yes. You will remain at zero until you graduate. But don't worry, you can still have a room in the dorms and free meals. You won't die."

She was certainly right, but after living a month in luxury, students would find it hard to live on the bare minimum from now on.

"Won't the other classes make fun of us?"

Sudo kicked the legs of his desk, visibly frustrated. It was true that the other classes would look at us as complete idiots. And rightfully so.

"What? You're still worried about your dignity, Sudo? Well then, work to make your class into the best one,"

"Huh?"

"Your class's points aren't just linked to the amount of money that you receive each month. They're also indicative of your class rank."

So, technically, we could overtake Class C, which means there is a way to raise our points.

"Now then, I have one more bit of bad news to share with you all."

She pulled out another sheet of paper. It had everyone's name and a number beside it. Looking at the number beside mine, I already knew what it was.

"Judging from these, I can see that we've quite a few idiots in this class. These are the results of the short test you took a while ago. Your sensei was so happy after your excellent performance. Come on, what in the world did you all study when you were in junior high?"

With the exception of a few students who received high scores, almost everyone received a score below sixty. It should come as no surprise that Sudo scored 14 points. That's just sad.

"I'm so glad. If this were an actual test, then seven of you would've had to drop out."

Would you look at that? Another bombshell. Great.

"D-drop out? What do you mean?"

"Oh, what, did I not explain this to you? If you fail on a midterm or final exam in this school, then you have to drop out. If we applied that rule to this test, anyone who scored below thirty-two points would be out. You guys really are stupid, aren't you?"

So, the average?

"Wh-what?!"

Chabashira-sensei drew a red line with seven names under it. Those seven people scored under thirty-two, which means they would have been expelled.

"Hey, don't jerk us around, Sae-chan-sensei! Don't joke about kicking us out!"

Ike didn't seem to understand that she was completely serious. That, or he was in denial.

"Frankly, I'm also at a loss. These are the school rules. You should prepare for the worst."

"The teacher's right. There do seem to be a lot of morons here." Kouenji had his signature grin while he polished his nails. Not a single care in the world.

"What the hell, Kouenji? You scored below the red line, too!" Sudo yelled at him.

"Pah. Where exactly are you looking, boy? Look again."

"Huh? Kouenji is...huh?"

Kouenji had tied for the top spot with a score of ninety points. Normally, I would've been amazed, but since it's Kouenji, I'm not. He doesn't deserve the praise.

"I never thought that Sudo was an idiot like me!" cried Ike. At least he has some self-awareness.

"Oh, one more thing. This school, which operates under government supervision, boasts a high rate of advancement into elite education and workplace placement. That is a well-known fact. It's very likely that most of you have chosen a college or future workplace."

Obviously. With rumors that you can get any job you want just by graduating, people are going to frantically apply.

"However, nothing comes easy in this world. Mediocre people such as yourselves would have to be naive to think that you could easily get into the college or workplace of your choice."

"In other words, you're saying that if we want to get into the company or college of our choice, we must at minimum, surpass Class C?" Hirata asked.

"You're wrong. To make your dreams of a bright future come true, your only option is to overtake Class A. This school guarantees nothing for any other students."

"Th-that's...absurd! We didn't hear anything about that!"

Yukimura, who tied for the top score, yelled out in protest. Now he is someone worthy of amazement.

"How disgraceful. There's nothing more pitiful than men losing their cool."

I'm pretty sure there is more pitiful stuff than that, Kouenji.

"Don't you feel dissatisfied being in Class D, Kouenji?" he asked.

"Dissatisfied? Why would I feel dissatisfied? I don't understand."

"Because the school says we're so low that we're basically delinquents and failures. We've been told that there's no guarantee whatsoever that we'll advance into higher education or get a job!"

"Pah. Utter nonsense. That's so marvelously stupid that I can't even find the words. The school simply hasn't seen my potential yet. I pride myself on being great, and I value, respect, and regard myself more highly than anyone. So arbitrarily placing me into Class D means nothing. Say, for instance, that I dropped out of school—I would be perfectly fine. After all, I am 100 percent positive that the school would come crying to take me back."

Yep, that sounds like Kouenji all right. Could his narcissism be the reason he was assigned to Class D? As we've seen before, Kouenji is athletic and intelligent. So, it stands to reason that his narcissistic attitude made him "defective."

"Besides, I don't care in the slightest if the school does or doesn't assist me to higher education or the workforce. It's been decided that I will lead the Kouenji conglomerate group. Whether I'm in Class D or Class A is a trivial matter."

Yukimura sat down, at a loss for words. He probably realized that it was useless to argue with someone like him.

"It looks like your bubbles have been burst. If you had simply understood the harsh reality of the situation from the start, then this long homeroom period might have meant something. Your midterm exams are in three weeks. Please think things over, and be careful not to drop out. I have confidence that you can find a way to avoid getting red marks on your report cards. If at all possible, challenge yourself to act in a way befitting a skilled individual."

Chabashira-sensei exited, slamming the door shut. A depressing mood took over the class.

Well, what do we do now?

"If we don't get any more points, what am I gonna do?"

"I used up all of my points yesterday..."

"Forget about the points. What the hell about this class? Why was I put into Class D?!" Yukimura yelled out angrily. I imagine that everyone was having similar thoughts. Being told that you're "the worst of the worst" isn't something to be happy about.

"Wait, does this mean that we can't get into college now? Why did we even go to this school? Does Sae-chan-sensei hate us or something?"

I mean, having your students be unable to behave properly and be the first class ever to waste all of their points isn't something she'd be proud of.

"I understand that you're all confused right now, but everyone needs to calm down." Hirata stood up and tried to calm the on-edge class.

"How are we supposed to calm down? Aren't you frustrated that she called us a bunch of failures?!" Yukimura yelled.

"Even if I was, isn't it better for us to band together so we can turn things around?" asked Hirata.

"Turn things around? I don't even agree with how we were sorted in the first place!"

"I understand. However, sitting here whining won't help us right now."

Hirata was right, whining wouldn't help at all. However, this wasn't a situation where most people could keep calm. Yukimura had the right to be angry. But trying to rationalize with someone that's angry wasn't going to go well.

"What did you say?" Yukimura grabbed Hirata by his collar.

"Calm down, you two, okay? I'm sure that the teacher talked to us harshly so we'd be inspired to do better, right?"

Kushida had gotten between the two of them.

"Besides, it's only been one month since we started here, right? Like Hirata-kun said, it's better if we all do our best together. Do you think that I'm wrong about that?"

"N-no, it's... Well, I certainly wouldn't say you're wrong, but..."

Incredibly, Kushida had managed to calm Yukimura down. It was something only she could have done. Just looking into her eyes calms you down.

"Yeah, it's better for us to band together. Right? There's no need for you to fight, Yukimura. Hirata."

"I'm sorry. I lost my cool,"

"It's all right. I should have chosen my words a little more carefully." With that, Hirata and Yukimura made up.

It was interesting to see both sides' reactions. They either saw the negative or positive side of the situation. Hmm...

"Hey, Sakura?"

"H-huh? D-do you n-need something, Kawasaki-kun?"

"I just wanted to hear your opinion on the situation."

I had asked Sakura for her opinion. I was curious about what side she was on.

"U-um...I-I think it's pretty disheartining to see."

"Yeah, it is."

Sakura didn't seem to be angry. She was sad that we had gotten to this point, a sentiment I agreed with.

"What about you?"

"Huh?"

Not even a minute later after my brief conversation with Sakura, Horikita asked me a question.

"Your points. How many do you have?"

"Uh, I have 70,000 left."

"At least the two of you have some sense."

Looking over, Horikita had tried to make sense of the point system. Unfortunately, there were too many variables to accurately figure out. It would've been easier to just act like normal students. Too late for that now.

"Attention, everyone. Before class begins, I want you to listen seriously for a moment. Especially you, Sudo-kun."

Hirata had gotten up to the teacher's podium, grabbing the attention of everyone.

"Tch, what is it?" Sudo grumbled.

"We didn't get any points this month. This is a serious problem, and one that will have an enormous impact on our daily lives moving forward. It's impossible for us to make it to graduation with zero points, right?"

"You're absolutely right!" Hirata gave a kind nod in response to the yelling female student.

"Of couse. Therefore, we must earn points next month. To do that, we all need to cooperate with each other. So, please, take care not to be late to class or to talk during the lecture. Also, the use of cell phones during class is prohibited, of course."

"Huh? And why do you get to tell us what to do? Besides, that's supposing our points will increase. If they don't change at all, then it's useless."

"As long as we continue talking during class and being late, our points won't increase for sure. Although we can't go below zero points, disruption will, without a doubt, count as strikes against us."

"I'm still not convinced. Besides, even if we get serious and work hard in class, our points won't necessarily go up." Sudo commented.

But that wasn't true, was it? Regardless, Sudo seemed steadfast in not correcting his behavior.

"Well, the teacher did say that the being late in talking in class were obviously bad, right?" Kushida said, trying to convince Sudo.

"Yeah, I agree with Kushida-san. It's only natural to avoid doing those things."

"That's just your own selfish interpretation. Besides, you don't know how to increase our points. Try talking to me after you figure that out."

"I don't think that there's anything particularly wrong with what you said, Sudo-kun. I apologize if I made you feel uncomfortable." Hirata bowed. "However, Sudo-kun, it's a fact that unless we all cooperate, we won't get any more points."

"Do whatever you want. It doesn't matter. Just don't involve me in it. Understand?" Sudo left the room. Even if we were to find a way to raise our points, I doubt that he would change his behavior.

"Sudo-kun really can't read the room. He's the one who was late to class the most. Couldn't we still get some points even without Sudo-kun?"

"Yeah. He really is the worst. Why is he in our class?"

Isn't that surprising? The students started putting the majority of the blame on Sudo, even when they too were part of the problem.

Hirata stepped down from the podium and stood in front of Horikita's desk.

"Ayanokouji-kun, Horikita-san, Kawasaki-kun, do you have a moment? I want to speak with you about how we can increase our points. I'd like you to join me. Can you?"

"Why do you want us?" asked Ayanokouji.

"I want to hear everyone's voices. However, if I ask for everyone to weigh in, I think more than half of the class probably won't take it seriously."

A way to increase our points, huh? As much as I wanted to figure out a way to do that. There wasn't enough information available to go on.

"I'm sorry, can you ask someone else? I'm not particularly good at discussing things with others," said Horikita.

"We wouldn't force you to speak up. If you could help think of something, that would be good. Simply being there would be enough,"

"I'm sorry, but I have no interest in something meaningless."

"This is the first trial we're facing together as a united Class D. So then—"

"I refuse. I won't participate."

Horkita firmly shot down Hirata's request. Knowing Horikita, she wasn't going to change her mind.

"I...I see. I'm sorry. If you change your mind, I'd love for you to join us."

Dejectedly, Hirata looked at me.

"Sorry. It's useless to think about that right now. We need more information." I said.

We could certainly try to come up with ideas, but it would be of no help at all if we can't confirm that they work.

"I see...Ayanokouji-kun?"

"Ah...I'll pass too. I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry for bothering you guys. If you change your mind or come up with anything, please let me know."

"Hirata's a great guy. He's able to get everyone to take action just like that. People can easily get depressed in these situations."

After Hirata left, Ayanokouji started voicing his thoughts to Horikita.

"That's one perspective, yes. If we could easily solve this by talking, then that'd be fine. However, if an unintelligent student tries to lead the discussion, the group will fall further into chaos, to the point where there's no hope of salvaging anything. Besides, I can't meekly accept my current situation."

I wanted to rebuke her comment, but I didn't, lest I get "punished." For someone who seemed smart, she was incredibly narrow-minded.

After classes had ended for the day, Hirata took the podium in preparation for the discussion. Hirata, being Hirata, naturally drew everyone's attention. Since I already said I wasn't going to participate, I started packing, ignoring the frantic Yamauchi that Ayanokouji was dealing with.

Seriously, why even buy an expensive gaming console?

"Oh! You're leaving Kawasaki-kun?"

I encountered Kushida a few steps away from my desk.

"Yeah, there isn't much I can add to the discussion anyway."

"Really? You seem like a smart guy," she said.

"If you say so..."

It felt strange to be complimented. Actually, I believe this was the first time I'd ever been complimented. I feel slightly happy.

"Ah! You're leaving too, Ayanokouji-kun?"

Yamauchi had finally given up trying to sell Ayanokouji his gaming system and instead went towards Sotomura.

"Huh? Yeah, I'm not much use here anyhow."

"Woah! You guys pretty much said the same thing! Are you guys twins?"

Before either of us could deny that question, Karuizawa showed up.

"Hey, Kushida-san, do you have a minute?" she said.

"Hm? What's up, Karuizawa-san?"

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

Karuizawa shamelessly asked Kushida for some points, despite the fact that she should have gotten enough from the other girls.

"Okay, sure."

And, of course, she agreed. Kushida was the type of girl you could rely on no matter what was going on.

"Thank you! This is really what friends are for, huh?"

Right...

"By the way, here's my number. Okay, see you later. Ah, Inogashira-san! Hey, to tell you the truth, I used up too many of my points..."

The cycle continued. Honestly, it wasn't a bad strategy. The only thing I would change is the part about already receiving points from the girls. You know, to receieve sympathy.

"Are you sure? You know you probably won't get those points back, right?" A concerned Ayanokouji asked Kushida. She shook her head.

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

"It's her fault, though, isn't it?" I said.

"Still... Wait, how do you transfer points?"

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

I forgot that we could do that. Despite having some friends' numbers, the topic of transferring points was never brought up.

It could also be that I don't really talk to them all that much.

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

Sensing that the conversation was ending, I went to leave, when suddenly...

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

The two of us?

Ayanokouji and I looked at each other. He simply shrugged. I wonder why they needed the both of us.

"Oh, looks like the teacher wants to see both of you."

"Yeah.. Sorry, Kushida. Got to go." Ayanokouji responded. I just waved her goodbye.

As we both walked out, I could feel the curious stares from my classmates. It sent a shiver down my spine. Eventually, we found the faculty office.

"Why don't you go in first, Ayanokouji? They called your name first, after all." I said. Even though his expression remained unchanged, I had the impression he was saying, "Are you serious?"

I walked in first, reluctantly. However, we couldn't find Chabashira-sensei. I would have asked a nearby teacher, but they were all busy and I didn't want to bother them. Fortunately, there was a teacher just by the mirror, not doing anything in particular. Perfect.

"Excuse me, do you know where Chasbashira-sensei is?"

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

Oh, it seems they're close. That's nice.

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

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

"I'll wait in the hall as well." Not wanting to be left alone with the teacher, I followed Ayanokouji. Unfortunately, she decided to follow us.

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

"Okay...?"

So she was Ichinose's teacher, huh? But what's up with the last part? I really didn't need to know that.

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

"We have no idea." Ayanokouji answered.

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

"My name's Ayanokouji,"

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

"Not really..." he muttered.

"How about you?" she said while looking at me.

"Kawasaki." I simply answered.

"Kawasaki-kun?" She stopped poking me and stared at me intently. It was almost like she was trying to remember me from somewhere. Have we met before?

"Ah! That's right! You're the boy who introduced himself to the class on the first day! You know, you were the only one who did that, right?"

Well, that was news to me. However, I don't recall seeing her there when I made my introduction.

"Ichinose said you were a nice person. You even gave her your phone number! Could it be that you have a crush on her?"

"Um..."

What was with her? She was acting much too comfortable around me. And what was that about me having a crush on Ichinose? I barely even know her! I glanced at Ayanokouji, hoping that he could help me out...

What? Don't look the other way! Help!

In order to not see what was happening, Ayanokouji had his back turned to us.

Please help me.

"Come on! You can tell—"

THUD!

"What are you doing, Hoshinomiya?"

Thankfully, Chabashira-sensei saved the day! Hoshinomiya-sensei was struck in the head by her with a clipboard, though. Ouch.

"Ouch! What was that for?" she cried, crouching with her hands rubbing her head.

"For getting involved with my students."

"I was only keeping them company while they waited for you, Sae-chan."

Your company scares me, though.

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

"The guidance office? Did we do something wrong?" Ayanokouji asked her.

"A good question. Come."

Reluctantly, we followed Chabashira-sensei. However, Hoshinomiya-sensei kept walking beside me. She had the smile of a predator!

"You stay," Chanashira-sensei turned around and ordered her to stay behind. She had an angry look on her face. Weren't they supposed to be friends?

"Come on, don't be so cold! It won't be the end of the world if I listen, right? Besides Sae-chan, you're definitely not the type to give guidance to your students. Suddenly pulling new students like Ayanokouji-kun and Kawasaki-kun into the guidance room... Are you after something, I wonder?"

She placed a hand on our shoulders.

"So, Sae-chan, are you looking to have a threesome?"

A threesome?

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

"Hee, you're certainly right. It wouldn't be possible for you, Sae-chan." Hoshinomiya-sensei muttered. Was she making fun of her?

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

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

As she was pleading her case, Ichinose appeared out of nowhere.

"Hoshinomiya-sensei, do you have a moment? The student council wishes to discuss something with you." She recognized me as she glanced at us.

"Oh, hi, Kawasaki-kun!" In return, I simply gave her a wave.

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

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

Chabashira-sensei lightly scratched her head as she watched Hoshinomiya-sensei leave with Ichinose. I suppose her actions perplexed her as well. After that, we entered the guidance room. We stood there, waiting for her to say something.

"Before we begin, please come here." She gave a brief glance at the clock. Was she waiting on someone? She led us into a small office kitchenette, placing a kettle on top of a stove.

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

"Uh, sure." I responded.

Ayanokouji went and picked up the container with the tea powder.

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

"Huh? What do mean by—"

"What? Can you even—"

She closed the door to the kitchenette without explanation, leaving the both of us there in silence. We exchanged shrugs as we looked at each other. We didn't want to risk being expelled, so we did as we were told. The sound of the outer door to the guidance room opening was soon heard.

"Ah, come in. So, what did you want to talk to me about, Horikita?"

Horikita? What did she need?

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

"That's quite frank."

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

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

Well, she does have that air about her.

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

Yep, she definitely thinks she's superior. Does she not know how she sounds?

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Incorrect evaluation? Perhaps your self-evaluation is far too high." Chabashira-sensei let out a laugh. Wow, that's cruel.

"I acknowledge that your academic ability is excellent. You're certainly very smart. However, who decided that smart people are categorically superior? We never said that."

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

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

At that, Ayanokouji let out a groan. He didn't seem to like that. I, too, found this system flawed: A system of hereditary succession where social standing and everything it entails is passed down to future generations. A person of high social standing attended a regular school, students would try to befriend them in order to gain their trust and eventually use them for their own gain. The child didn't ask to be put in a situation like that.

If a family member commits a particularly heinous crime, their children or other relatives will invariably bear the consequences, similar to kin punishment. What a horrible situation.

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

"Tch..."

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

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

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

So she knows, huh?

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

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

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

Even when told that she was deliberately placed in Class D, she refused to believe it.

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

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

Horikita wasn't wrong. Even if we found a way of gaining points, we would still be at a severe disadvantage, both in terms of points and students.

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

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

She ignored the question?

"Understood. I will keep that in mind."

Well, it seemed that the discussion was over. If Chabashira-sensei knew Horikita was coming, then why did she call us? She could have called us later.

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

I've got a bad feeling about this.

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

"Come on out, you two."

Without even looking at each other, we both decided not to go out. I can't imagine how Horikita would react to seeing us.

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

Seriously? She can't do that, can she?

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

Reluctantly, Ayanokouji and I entered the room. Horikita, not surprisingly, was perplexed by our appearance.

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

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

"Yep, couldn't hear a thing." I said, nodding to try to sell the act.

"That's not true. Voices carry pretty well into the kitchen." Chabashira-sensei shot down the lie instantly. That's not cool...

"Sensei, why would you do this?" Horikita has the right to be angry. Unwillingly or not, we had listened to her private conversation.

"Because I deemed it necessary. Now then, Ayanokouji and Kawasaki, I'll explain why I called you both here."

"Well then, if you'll excuse me..." Horikita muttered as she turned to leave.

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

Horikita immediately turned around and sat down.

"Please keep it brief,"

"Chabashira-sensei chuckled as she looked over the two clipboards she had. "You two are certainly interesting students."

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

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

"If they were like you, I wouldn't." I said.

She ignored my remark.

"When I read over the entrance exam's results, your scores piqued my interest. I was shocked." She laid down both our answer sheets from the entrance exam.

"Ayanokouji. Fifty points in Japanese. Fifty points in mathematics. Fifty points in English. Fifty points in social studies. Fifty points in science. You even scored fifty points on the short test."

Horikita's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Kawasaki. Eighty points in Japanese. Eighty points in mathematics. Eighty points in English. Eighty points in social studies. Eighty points in science. And eighty points on the short test. Do you get what all this means?"

Horikita was baffled. She looked over both answer sheets before looking at us. "These are just coincidences, aren't they?" she asked.

"Oh? You believe that them getting the same score across the board is just a coincidence? This was intentional."

"It's a coincidence. There's no evidence that it's not. Besides, what would I gain by manipulating my scores in the first place? If I were intelligent enough to achieve high marks, I would've tried to get perfect scores." he said.

"Right." Chabashira-sensei snorted. "What's your excuse?" She looked at me now.

"Excuse? I don't have any excuses. These are just the scores I got. It's just a coincidence that they turned out to be the same number."

"Even now you're denying it?" Chabashira-sensei looked like she wanted to laugh.

"Ayanokouji, only 3 percent of students solved the fifth math problem successfully. However, you solved it perfectly and used a complex formula to do so. However, the tenth problem on the test had a completion rate of 76 percent, and yet, you got it wrong." She looked at me next.

"And you, Kawasaki. On the recent short test, you answered the first sixteen questions correctly and the rest incorrectly, leaving you with a score of eighty. Before you say it's a 'coincidence,' could you tell me why the same thing happened on your entrance exam? You answered eighty percent of the questions in a given section correctly and the rest incorrectly. Tell me, is that normal?"

"No...That's why it's called a coincidence." I said.

"Oh, for crying out loud! Do you seriously want me to believe that all of this is a coincidence?! This'll cause problems for the both of you in the future!"

"I'll think about that when the time comes." Ayanokouji answered.

"I could really care less." I said.

Exasperated, Chabashira-sensei shot Horikita a look that seemed to ask for her opinion.

"Why do you both pretend not to know?" Horikita asked.

"Like I said, it was a coincidence. I'm certainly not hiding that I'm a genius or anything." he said.

"I wonder. They may be even more intelligent than you, Horikita."

Horikita visibly flinched. Please don't provoke her, Chabashira-sensei.

"I don't like studying, and I don't plan to try hard. That's why I get those scores."

"I just didn't study hard enough, you know?" I tried to convince her.

"A student who chose this school wouldn't say those things. However, some students may have different reasons for getting in. The both of you, along with Kouenji, would be fine being in either D or A."

What even is the point of this? Just to rile Horikita up? This was getting annoying.

"What other reasons do you have? Horikita asked

"You want me to explain it to you in detail?" she said.

Chabashira-sensei's eyes sharpened, clearly trying to provoke her.

"No, we'd best stop here. Anymore, and I might go mad and destroy all the furniture in here," he said.

"If you did that, Ayanokouji, I would demote you to E Class."

"Wait, there's an E Class?"

"E Class?"

"Certainly. If you didn't know, the 'E' stands for 'expelled.' As in, you'd be kicked out of school. Well, I suppose our conversation has ended. Enjoy your lives."

That sarcasm would be better used somewhere else.

"I'm leaving, too. It's almost time for the faculty meeting. I'm going to close the door, so please step outside."

She forcefully pushed us out into the hallway. I was thankful that it was over. I immediately started walking to the dorms. Ayanokouji briefly considered staying behind with Horikita following after me.

"Wait." Horikita called out, but neither of us stopped or looked back. Dealing with Horikita was a guaranteed headache.

"Was it really all a coincidence?" she asked.

"Of course. That's the only explanation. Do you have proof otherwise?" I said.

"I don't, but... I also don't understand. Ayanokouji-kun, you said that you like to avoid trouble, but you don't seem to be interested in Class A."

He likes to avoid trouble? That's new.

"You have an extraordinary fixation on Class A, Horikita," he answered.

"Why shouldn't I? I'm simply striving to improve my future prospects."

"Oh, absolutely. You should. It's perfectly natural."

"When I entered this school, I thought graduation was my only goal. But the reality is different. I'm not even at the starting line."

At this point, Horikita had managed to catch up to us and match our pace.

"So, why are you aiming for Class A?"

"First, I want to ascertain this school's true motives. Why was I put into Class D? Chabashira-sensei said I'd been deemed a Class D student, but why? When I discover the answer, I'll aim for A. No, I will definitely make it to A."

Well, therein lies the problem. She's only thinking about herself. If you want to reach Class A, you have to work with everyone in the class, something that Horikita seems to loathe. That's for her to find out, though.

"That's going to be difficult. You'll have to rehabilitate the problem children. You have Sudo's continued tardiness and class cutting, everyone else talking in class, and, of course, the test score. Even if you manage all of that, you're still at zero points." Ayanokouji provided a brief overview of our class's issues.

"I know that. I still think the school made a mistake with my placement."

Horikita was still unable to grasp the concept that she had been purposefully placed in Class D. Well, they do say that denial is the first step to acceptance.

"I can understand your thoughts, but I don't think the school will continue supervising us so carefully. If they did, there'd be no meaning in competition," she said.

"I see. I suppose you could think that. So, you'll try to take care of this situation by yourself?" Ayanokouji asked.

"Yes."

I doubt she can.

"Don't act so proud."

Horikita chopped Ayanokouji's side. What a dangerous wo—

Smack!

"Ow. What was that for? I didn't even say anything." Horikita also chopped my side for no apparent reason.

"I could hear your insulting thoughts."

Seriously? This further confirms my suspicions that she's an esper...

"Look, I understand how you feel, but you can't solve this by yourself. Think about Sudo. Even if you improve, the rest of the class will drag you down." he said while rubbing his side. She hits hard...

"No. You're right that no lone individual can solve this problem. We won't even make it to the starting line without everyone's help."

Like a race, instead of us being at the starting line, ready to start, we're still at home sleeping.

"Alright then, what's your plan?" I asked.

"Hmm. To start, we have three immediate issues. Tardiness and talking during class are the first two. Third, we must make sure no one fails the midterm exam." Horikita said.

"I think we'll manage those first two issues, but the midterms..." Ayanokouji said.

"I can't see how you'll manage to make Sudo pass, considering he got a score of fourteen on the short test." I said.

I'd also noticed that my seatmate, Sakura, had passed but wasn't to far of from failing. She would need to study to be on the safe side.

"That's right. That's why I'll need the two of you."

"Need?" Ayanokouji and I responded.

Horikita gave us a glare.

"What if we refuse? Like how you refused Hirata this morning." he said.

"Do you want to refuse?" she asked.

Her voice was ominous, so I decided to ask her a question.
"And what if we said we'd gladly help?"

"I never would've thought you two would do it gladly, but I doubt you'd refuse. If the two of you did refuse to work with me, then that would be the end of it. No matter what I said about our future, I'd be powerless if the two of you refused. So will the two of you help me or not?"

In all honesty, I wanted to help not for Class A, but for the points. However, Horikita was the type of person not to give her servants any sort of reprieve. That's not how I envisioned my high school life.

"I refuse,"

It seemed that Ayanokouji had come to a decision. I wonder what Horikita will say.

"I always knew you'd help, Ayanokouji-kun. I'm grateful."

The opposite! I believe it is time for me to make my move...

"I didn't say that! I turned you down!"

"No, I heard the voice inside your head. You said you'd help. What's your answer, Kawa—"

Unfortunately for her, I had already made a break for it. I was not about to be forced to work. Plus, she already has Ayanokouji. He's more than enough.

Probably.

[Vol 1] Chapter 8: The Formation Of Something New

We don't meet people by accident. They are meant to cross our path for a reason. -Unknown

A week had passed since the shocking revelation. The majority of the students had begun to correct their behavior. That's right. The majority. Sudo kept on falling asleep in class, but because we didn't know how to earn points, we couldn't reprimand him. And even if we did, he still probably wouldn't listen.

" Sigh. What are we going to do...?" I muttered.

"Ah?!"

A voice had suddenly cried out. I looked around and saw Ayanokouji rubbing his arm in pain. What happened?

"What's the matter, Ayanokouji? You cried out. Have you started your rebellious phase or something?"

"N-no. Sorry, Chabashira-sensei. I got some dirt in my eye."

Why are you rubbing your arm, then?

The other students gave him pained glances. They couldn't say anything out of fear of losing any potential points they may have inadvertently gained.

After class, Ayanokouji went straight to Horikita and started complaining to her. You see, that's why it was a good idea to run away from her.

When lunch arrived, Hirata stood up and spoke.

"Chabashira-sensei mentioned that the midterm is coming up soon. Remember that if you fail, you'll be expelled. Therefore, I think it would be a good idea to form a study group."

Yeah, there are some people here who desperately need that help.

"If you neglect your studies, you'll get a failing grade and be expelled on the spot. I want to avoid that. However, studying won't just prevent expulsion; it may also help earn points. If we receive high marks, our class's assessment should improve as a result. I asked some of the students who scored high on the test to help prepare a study plan. So, I would like people who are anxious to come join our group. Everyone is welcome, of course."

Of course, after scoring an eighty on the test, Hirata asked me a few days ago to come up with some questions, which I did reluctantly.

"Tch."

Hirata had been staring at Sudo during his speech, which irritated Sudo. They hadn't seen eye to eye since their previous disagreement.

"Starting today at five o'clock, we will plan to study in this classroom for two hours a day until the test. If you'd like to join us, please come whenever you like. Of course, I don't mind if you need to leave partway. That's all I have to say." Hirata finished speaking.

When he finished speaking, several people got up and approached him. I noticed Sakura's reluctance; she wanted help but was too shy to ask for it. Hmm...

"Are you two free for lunch? Do you want to eat together?"

Horikita approached me and Ayanokouji shortly after Hirata's announcement with an unusual request.

"It's unusual to get an invitation from you. I feel nervous." Ayanokouji said.

"Is there some sort of catch?" I asked. Horikita wouldn't suddenly want to hang out with us.

"Of course not. As an apology for attempting to coerce you both into assisting me, I will gladly pay for your meal."

She wanted to apologize? Normally, I would refuse because everything seemed suspicious, but I remembered running away from her the last time. Maybe she realized the error of her ways.

"If people can't honestly accept kindness, then mankind will meet its end, won't it?"

"Well..."

With great reluctance, Ayanokouji and I followed Horikita to the cafeteria. We both had the same idea and decided on an expensive meal set.

"Well then, shall we eat?" Horikita asked as we sat down. Her stare bore a hole in me.

"What's the matter? Aren't you going to eat? It's going to get cold, you know."

I first watched Ayanokouji take a bite of his food to see Horikita's reaction. Once he did, Horikita gave a self-satisfied nod. She looked at me, her gaze telling me that I should eat.

I guess she can be nice sometimes. I was wrong about you, Horikita.

As soon as I took a bite out of my food, Horikita began speaking.

"I know this is rather sudden, but I want to discuss something."

"I have a bad feeling about this..."

Yep, this was a bad idea. I tried to run away, but Horikita grabbed my arm, effectively keeping me in place. In fact, Ayanokouji had attempted to do the same thing.

We were set up!

"Ayanokouji-kun, Kawasaki-kun, I'll ask once again. Will you listen to me?"

"Ugh..."

"Why me...?"

"Ever since Chabashira-sensei's warning, fewer people have arrived late or talked in class. When I say we eliminated more than half of the reasons our class got into trouble, I'm not exaggerating."

"I mean, Ayanokouji told you those were things we could easily fix."

"The next step is to improve our chances of scoring well on the midterms. Hirata-kun started taking action toward that end earlier."

"The study groups, huh? Well, I suppose that a study group certainly could help. Only..."

"Only what? It sounds like you're implying something. What's the problem? Do you know?" She looked at me as she said the last part.

"Well..."

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it. I have to say, it's unusual to see you so worried for others." he said.

"I can't truly imagine failing a test. However, it's true that some students in this world can do just that."

Wow, that was condescending.

"Sudo and the others, you mean? You're vicious as ever, I see."

"I'm just telling the truth."

"You're right, but would it have killed you to say it more nicely?" I said.

"What's wrong with saying it how it is? It's their fault for getting to that point."

Jeez, I was wrong. She can't be nice.

"Anyway, I'm relieved that Hirata-kun set up a study group. However, Sudo-kun, Ike-kun, and Yamauchi-kun didn't join, did they? That worries me,"

"Oh, those guys. I wouldn't say they're Hirata's enemies, but they aren't on good terms with him. They wouldn't join."

Ah, yes. Their jealousy of Hirata won't let them join.

"So, in other words, there remains a high probability that those three will fail. In order to reach Class A, we need to avoid demerits and build toward a positive evaluation, correct? I think it highly likely that good test scores will help with that."

If those three pass with good grades, the school will see that we worked hard and may award us points.

"What if you also held a study group like Hirata's, specifically for helping Sudo and Ike?" Ayanokouji asked.

"Sure. I wouldn't have any objections to that. You probably find that rather surprising, though, don't you?"

"Well, everything about your behavior up until now has been surprising." he said.

At first glance, you might think so, but this was actually in character for her. She was doing this for her own benefit. It reminds me of someone...

"Well, I understand that you want to move up to Class A. However, I don't think that you'd opt for ordinary methods like tutoring them. Typically, failing students tend not to like studying. Besides, you've kept your distance from the other students since the first day, right? I doubt someone who considers friends unnecessary would be able to bring people together easily."

"That's why I'm asking you. Fortunately, you're already friendly with these people, right?"

"Huh? Hey, wait. You couldn't mean..."

"It'll be quicker if you try to convince them. It shouldn't be a problem; they're happy to say that you're friends, right? Bring them to the library, and I'll tutor them."

"This is insane. Do you honestly think someone who does his best to lead an utterly harmless and inoffensive life would be able to do something that requires actual social skills?"

Trying to make yourself seem useless, huh? I doubt Horikita cares, though.

"It's not a matter of can or can't. Just do it,"

"Wait. If that's the case, why do you need me?" I asked Horikita. She was only asking Ayanokouji, not me.

"Oh? That means you'll cooperate with me, right?"

"What?! That's not what I said at all! I just want to hear what you would have wanted from me before I inevitably refused."

"Well, you don't have a choice. You two ate the food I bought. It was expensive, you know?"

"You said it was an apology for earlier!"

"I was lying."

"Can't we just pay you for the meals and be even?"

"I would never stoop so low as to accept handouts from others."

Great. Escape is impossible.

"This might be the first time I'm actually angry at you..." Ayanokouji muttered.

"So, what will it be? Cooperate or face punishment?"

"You're threatening us?" I said.

"Of course. Don't think I've forgotten about the two of you conspiring with Kushida-san and inviting me out under false pretenses."

"Didn't you say you wouldn't blame us? Saying that is unfair." Ayanokouji interjected.

"I said that to Kushida-san. I don't remember saying that to you two."

"Wow. That's dirty." he said.

"You want forgiveness? Cooperate with me."

We were stuck. If we refused, we would suffer regardless. Ayanokouji let out a sigh.

"I can't guarantee anything. Are you okay with that?"

"I believe you'll find a way. Oh, here's my phone number and email. If something happens, contact me."

Horikita gave him her contact information and sent him on his way, leaving me alone with her.

"So," I started as I sighed. "What do you need me to do?"

"Here. I've written a list of students that passed but could study more to make sure they don't fail."

The list she handed me had numerous names: Sakura Airi, Miyake Akito, Hasebe Haruka, Sato Maya, and many others.

"Wait, why is Sato here? I understand that the other three didn't join the study group, but Sato certainly did."

Hasebe, Miyake, and Sakura were on the lower side, but I didn't think they needed help. I was sure they would study after they saw how close it was.

"Do you really think she would study properly in such a big group? Hirata-kun won't be able to properly teach everyone like that."

I guess I could see where she was coming from, but still...

"Fine. I'll see what I can do."

"Excellent. Here, you know what to do."

"Yeah..."

Horikita gave me her contact information as well before promptly leaving. I had a lot of work on my hands.

Lunch was quickly approaching, and I still hadn't figured out how to persuade them to join me. What do I even say? I've never invited someone to do something before, so this is all new to me.

I might be able to persuade Sakura, but we don't really talk to each other that much. I had no clue how to convince Hasebe and Sato, though. Hasebe doesn't seem to be on good terms with us boys ever since the pool incident, and Sato would probably much rather be with Hirata than someone like me.

It's do or die, and I'd very much rather live.

"Can I ask you something, Sakura?"

"U-uh, wh-what is it?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to join my study group."

"U-um..."

"It's only going to be you and three other people." I hope. "So, it's nothing too big. Oh, and Hasebe will be there too, if that makes you feel more comfortable."

While I was speaking, an idea came to me. I could influence Sakura if I told her that Hasebe would be there, and I would also tell Hasebe that another girl, Sakura, would be there.

"Of course, you don't have to answer me right now. I was just worried when I saw your grades."

"O-oh, o-okay, I'll think a-about it."

Alright, that wasn't a bad start. Let's see what else I can do. I got up from my seat and went toward Miyake, ignoring the fact that Horikita had just stabbed Ayanokouji in the neck with her compass. Scary!

"Can I ask you something?" I asked the rather bored-looking Miyake.

"Huh? Oh, uh...you're Kawasaki, right?"

"That's right."

"Cool. So, what do you need?" Miyake responded in a laid-back tone. I had the impression that I could convince him more easily.

"I was just wondering if you wanted to join my study group. Hirata's group might be too big, and I wanted to create a group for lonely people like myself."

Except for Sato, I had noticed that everyone on the list was a quiet individual with few friends. Usually, reserved people dislike the idea of being around a large crowd. They would prefer to hang out with a select group of close friends.

"Hmm. I can't say I'm not interested. You did score high after all."

"So...?"

"However, I'm in the archery club, and I don't want to miss any club meetings."

Crap, that wasn't good. However, I wasn't going to give up that easily.

"I understand, but if you fail a subject, you'll be expelled and won't be able to attend your club."

Miyake appeared to ponder my words. While he had good grades, a single mistake in one of his weaker subjects could spell the end of his time at this school.

"Fine. I'll talk to the captain and ask for the week off."

"Alright. We start tomorrow. I'll text you where we'll meet up."

We traded contact information and left it at that. Just two more to go.

"Hey, Sato."

"Hmm? Kawasaki-kun? Is there something you need?"

"Do you want to join my study group?"

"Huh? Why?"

"Well, it looked like you might need some help studying."

"Isn't that why Hirata-kun made a study group? Sorry, Kawasaki-kun, but I'm going to study in Hirata-kun's group."

"No, it's alright. Sorry for bothering you."

I sighed. It looked like I couldn't convince her. I could try to further persuade her, but I felt like she wasn't going to budge. Plus, it would be too troublesome to push the matter.

"Hey, Hasebe—"

"Why?"

"Huh?"

I had turned to Hasebe to ask her about the study group when she suddenly asked me a question.

"Why should I join?" she said. It seemed that she was listening to my conversation with Sato.

"Uh, well, it's a small group. It's only me, Miyake, and Sakura." I responded.

"Hmm, how do I know you can teach us?"

Well, at least she's not outright rejecting the idea. Also, I was sure she wouldn't talk to me. You know, after the pool incident.

"I got a score of eighty on all subjects, so I'm pretty confident I can teach the three of you."

Hasebe looked at me, almost as if she were looking for any ulterior motives that I may have.

"Alright...I'll give it a chance."

Having asked everyone and received an answer (except for Sakura), I reported my progress to Horikita.

"I did what you asked for."

"Excellent. I trust there were no problems?"

"About that..."

I explained how Sato had refused and that trying to force her would be a bad idea.

" Sigh. Fine. Just make sure those three can score at least a fifty."

"But—Nevermind, I'll take care of it."

I was about to protest when Horikita gave me a glare. Instead, I meekly made my way back to my seat and rested my head.

"U-um, Kawasaki-kun?" Sakura called out to me.

"Yeah?"

"I-I w-want to j-join the study group!"

Sakura had gathered her courage and accepted my invitation, which was good since I had already told Horikita that Sakura had joined, but actually having confirmation is a relief.

I wonder how Ayanokouji is doing.

"Let's see...snacks and drinks... check. Other materials...check."

The next day, after class, I went out to buy things I deemed essential. I texted everyone to meet outside my room at five. However, after sending the message, I realized that I should buy drinks and snacks to appear more welcoming.

Twenty minutes earlier than the time I set, I arrived at the dorms.

"Hmm?"

But to my surprise, someone was already standing in front of my room.

"Sakura?"

"Hyaaah?!" Sakura jumped. It seems that I really frightened her.

"K-K-Kawasaki-kun?!"

"You know you're about twenty minutes early, right?"

"S-sorry. I-I didn't want to be l-late."

But there was still plenty of time left? I suppose she didn't want to arrive at five o'clock and find that everyone had already arrived and that we were waiting for her. Well, that's what I would have done in that situation.

I opened the door and let her in.

"It isn't much, but this is my room."

"I-it's p-pretty empty."

Sakura wasn't wrong; it was pretty much empty. But, true to my word, I had purchased a plant. I think its name is Devi's ivy or something like that. After all, it was the first plant I came across. I didn't put too much thought into what I was buying.

"Would you like something to drink? I have juice."

"U-um, t-that would b-be fine."

I took everything out of the bags, including the plastic cups I bought.

"Here, it's apple juice."

"T-thanks..."

After giving her the drink, we just sat in silence. I hadn't expected anyone to come early. Even worse, I'm not exactly the most social person.

"So...is there anything you like to do in your free time?"

I decided to try to familiarize ourselves with each other. If we wanted to work together, we needed some sort of mutual trust.

"U-um, I-I like to take photos."

Photography, huh? I can see the appeal; being able to capture a moment in time and keep it forever.

"That's nice. Is there anything in particular you like to take photos of?"

"W-well..."

Knock! Knock! Knock!

There was a knock at the door. It seemed that another person had arrived. I opened the door and found Hasebe and Miyake there.

"Thanks for coming, you two."

"Wow, how do you even live here? "It's empty," Hasebe stated.

"I don't want to be rude, but she's right.I wouldn't have believed anyone lived here if you hadn't invited us." said Miyake.

Is it really that empty? Does the plant I have not make a difference?

"Sakura's already here. So come on in. I've got snacks."

They entered and sat down near Sakura.

"So, what are we doing today?"

"Nothing too intensive. I just want to see where your skills lie. Here, I made this short test. You'll have about twenty minutes to complete it."

It's not a good idea to dive right into studying on the first day. Especially when I only have a hazy idea of where they need assistance. Furthermore, I don't want to come across as too strict..

After a while, Hasebe and Miyake turned in their tests at the same time, with Sakura finishing last.

Remarkably, Hasebe and Miyake's tests were answered in the same way. They even got the same answers wrong!

"Um, you two didn't cheat off each other, right?" I asked.

"Huh? Of course not. Why would you ask that?" Hasebe asked, almost irritated.

"The fact that both of you received the same grade and provided the same answers speaks for itself, I suppose."

"Wow, that's freaky."

"Anyway, I now know where you two need help. Sakura?"

"Y-yes?!"

"It seems that there's no particular area you excel at."

"O-oh, I-I see..."

"But don't fret. That's why I'm hereI'll give you all this study material to work on tonight, and tomorrow I'll have a more specific plan for you all. If you want, you can work on it here with the snacks, or you can leave and do it on your own."

"Snacks?" said Miyake.

"Oh, they were for us?" asked Hasebe.

"Of course, as a thank you for coming."

"Yeah, that makes sense. I originally thought they were all for you."

"Seriously?!"

"Sorry, man. I thought the same thing."

"I appreciate the honesty at least..." I muttered.

They appeared more at ease than before. We may not have done much studying, but we did close the gap between us, however small.

Sakura, Hasebe, and Miyake stayed for another half hour before departing, leaving me alone.

I was left alone with my thoughts and began reflecting on the previous month. We were placed in Class D, the lowest of the low, and were left with nothing. Now we have to drag ourselves up to Class A.

Despite the fact that I say "we," it's really just Horikita and the others. In one respect, Chabashira-sensei was correct: I don't really care what class I'm in. To be honest, I applied to this school on a whim. It wasn't in my plans to come here, but I was surprised to be accepted, and now I'm here.

I thought my life here would be mediocre at first, but I was wrong. I've made a lot of new friends, which I didn't have before coming here. Things were, to put it mildly, getting interesting.

When I looked at my phone, I noticed that I had received several notifications from the group chat that Ike had invited me to a while ago.

"Sato joined, huh?"

However, what Sato wrote after joining piqued my interest.

I heard about what happened today. Horikita is really frustrating, huh?

Horikita appeared to have enraged some people. Curious, I continued reading.

I was really pissed at her. Sudo was super mad. He almost lost it. I think he would've hit her.

If I see her tomorrow, I might hit her. I was really annoyed with her today.

Aha ha ha, it'll be a big problem if you hit her lol. That would be overkill!

Hey, I have an idea. Starting tomorrow, how about we completely ignore her?

Ha, I've always ignored her (lol)

I kind of want to hit her with some payback. Bully her a little and make her cry, you know? Do something like her shoes.

Ha ha, what are you, kids? Lol lol lol but I do kind of want to see her squirm.

Whatever had happened had made them want to bully Horikita. But enough to think about hitting her? Do they not realize this is incriminating?

Hey, Ayanokouji-kun, you want in on bullying Horikita lol

Nah, both Ayanokouji-kun and Kawasaki-kun are all over Horikita. They're like her knights or something lol

Hey, whose side are you on? Ours or Horikita's?

For some reason, they decided to involve me and Ayanokouji. I'm not sure why they're even thinking about bullying her. Horikita, in my opinion, wouldn't take that lightly; then again, perhaps she doesn't.

Hey, you're both reading this, right? Come on, one of you answer. Whose side are you on?

I'm on no one's side. If you guys want to bully her, I won't stop you.

So, you're neutral. That's the craftiest answer lol.

Think whatever you want, but you won't gain anything from this. If the school learns you're bullying her, it'll cause trouble for you. Keep that in mind.

So, you're sticking up for Horikita, huh? Ha ha.

Yo, you still haven't answered, Kawasaki-kun.

What else is there to say? Ayanokouji-kun is right. If the school catches you bullying her, you could be expelled.

So, what you're saying is that both of you like Horikita, right?

No, where do you even get that idea?

Come on. Don't be shy lol

If Kushida hears about this, she'll probably hate you all. Lol.

Thankfully, Ayanokouji came up with the assist. They texted back immediately, but I decided not to look at it. Trying to argue with them would give me a headache.

"Horikita..."

Horikita had been the catalyst for the situation I was in. Chabashira-sensei sowed doubt in Horikita's mind by showing her my entrance exam results, leading her to dupe Ayanokouji and I into helping her raise the class. And now, she has somehow made people excited about the idea of bullying her. For a "superior" person, she certainly is struggling.

"A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool."

This phrase came to mind.

"I wonder. Which am I?"

"Ah, the wind feels nice."

I was currently standing outside. Dealing with Ike and the others gave me a headache, just as I had anticipated. Was talking with friends supposed to be this stressful?

I started walking back to the dorm after heaving a sigh. When I got close, however, I could hear voices.

"I told you, it's pointless. You really are a disobedient little sister."

It was a familiar voice. I carefully hid near a wall to see what was going on.

"The student council president?"

To my surprise, Horikita was there, as was her sister. For some reason, I can feel someone else's presence.

I don't see anyone. I must be imagining things.

The elder Horikita grabbed her sister's wrist and pushed her against the wall.

"No matter how I try to avoid you, the fact remains that you're my little sister. If people around here learned the truth, I would be humiliated. Leave this school immediately."

"I-I can't do that... I will definitely reach Class A. I'll show you!"

"How incredibly stupid. Do you want to relive the pain of the past?"

"Niisan, I..."

"You possess neither the abilities nor the qualities needed to reach Class A. Get that through your head."

He's definitely going to hurt her. Even though we may not agree on everything, I can't stand by and watch her suffer. I was rushing toward him before I even realized it.

"What?"

"K-Kawasaki-kun and A-Ayanokouji-kun?!"

I ran and grabbed his left hand when I saw Ayanokouji grab his right hand. When did he get here? Was he watching as well? Even Ayanokouji was surprised to see me.

"Eavesdropping, huh? You should know that isn't an admirable quality."

"So is hurting your sister."

"Let go of her."

"That's my line."

We stood there, staring at each other in silence. The tension was palpable.

"Stop it..." Horikita suddenly spoke, her voice strained. Even now, she's defending him?

Ayanokouji and I exchanged nods before letting go of her hand. When we did, he immediately tried to backhand Ayanokouji in the face. He rapidly turned around and aimed a sharp kick at my face.

"Watch out!"

Horikita's warning came too late, as I had already ducked to avoid the kick. The elder Horikita followed with a leg sweep, which I had anticipated and sidestepped, avoiding the attack. He had a puzzled expression on his face.

"Good reflexes. I didn't think you two would manage to evade my attacks. You understood what I was going for. You two have been taught, haven't you?"

"Yes, I was taught piano and calligraphy. Also, when I was in elementary school, I won a national music competition," Ayanokouji answered.

"Perhaps.." I said.

"Interesting...you're both in Class D, aren't you?" The elder Horikita faced her sister. "Suzune, are these boys your friends? I'm honestly surprised."

"No...they're not my friends. Just classmates." Horikita faced her brother, denying the statement.

"Typical. You continue to confuse independence with solitude. Ayanokouji and Kawasaki, was it? With you two, things might get interesting."

With that final statement, he walked away, disappearing into the night. Well, he was certainly skilled. No wonder he was the student council president.

"I'm going to drag myself up to Class A even if it kills me," Horikita said. She sat up against the wall with her head hanging low.

"Were you two following me? Or was it a coincidence?"

"Well, it was a half coincidence. I saw you when I bought some juice from the vending machine. I was kind of curious, so I followed you. However, I didn't expect Kawasaki to be here as well."

"I was on my way back to the dorms when I heard your brother's voice. I didn't think he'd try to hurt you."

Horikita fell silent once again, almost as if she were processing our words.

"Your older brother is really strong. He doesn't lack ferocity." he said.

"He's ranked fifth dan in karate and fourth dan in aikido."

Yikes. Good thing I managed to evade his attacks; I probably would've been badly injured if I hadn't.

"You two also practice martial arts, don't you? You must hold a dan rank."

"I told you, didn't I? Just piano and tea ceremony."

"You said calligraphy before."

"I...did calligraphy in addition to those, yes."

Horikita looked at Ayanokouji, perplexed, before turning to me.

"I just know the basics. Nothing too much."

"You two purposefully manipulate your scores and give the most nonsensical answers. I can't understand either of you."

"I'm sorry, Horikita, but our scores are coincidences. Nothing more. Nothing less." I said.

"You've seen a strange side of me."

"On the contrary, I always thought of you as a normal girl. Well, not really."

Horikita glared at him. She really didn't like that.

"Let's go back. I don't want any weird rumors to spread."

If anyone sees us, they will undoubtedly misinterpret and gossip about us. Given that this is my first year in high school, I don't want any negative rumors about me to spread..

Horikita slowly stood up and began walking.

"Hey. Were you really okay with how the study group went?" Ayanokouji asked

"Yeah, that reminds me. What happened? I heard something went wrong." I asked.

Horikita sighed before speaking.

"I tried tutoring them, and they didn't like it. That's all."

"You called them dead weight too." added Ayanokouji.

"But I'm not wrong, am I? As I said earlier, we would've eventually faced a similar situation and gone through this mess again. It's a waste of time. If they want to pass, they should just study with Hirata-kun."

"You do realize Sudo and the others don't like Hirata, right?" he said.

"That's on them. The moment they quit the study group was the moment it stopped being my problem. Why don't we just let them fail? If we do that, only the competent students will be left, making it easier to rank up."

What Horikita is saying isn't necessarily incorrect. However, there are some other factors to consider...

"Isn't that a flawed way of thinking, Horikita?" he asked..

"Flawed? Don't tell me you're going to give me some gibberish about how there's no future for someone who would abandon her classmates."

"Relax. I understand you well enough to know that you don't really understand me."

"Then what is it? There isn't any type of advantage to helping failures."

"Actually, there is," I interjected. "Keeping them would almost certainly avoid any penalties."

"Demerit?"

"Think about it. The school already deducts points from us for being late or horsing around. So what do you think would happen if one of our classmates were to be expelled?

"Well—"

"We could be deducted so many points. Perhaps not even a point deduction, but rather a percentage of any future points we obtain. Your goal of reaching Class A would then be impossible, if not extremely difficult." I said.

"Even then, we're already at zero points because of them. Wouldn't it be best to eliminate the deadweight? There wouldn't be a drawback now."

I sighed internally. Horikita wasn't getting the point.

"Kawasaki's right. Do you really think it's okay to take such a dangerous risk? I'm sure someone as smart as you has already given that idea some thought. Otherwise, you would never have told us to form a study group in the first place. You would've just abandoned the failures from the very beginning."

Those were my thoughts as well. Horikita just couldn't see the big picture.

"Even if there are potential unknown negatives, it's better for the future of our class to abandon the failing students. Wouldn't you regret not abandoning them when we do finally increase our points? Right now, it's a risk that we should take."

"Is that really what you think?"

"Yes. Really. Frankly, I'm at a loss as to why both of you are so adamant about saying otherwise."

Just as Horikita was about to board the elevator, Ayanokouji grabbed her wrist.

"What? Do you have a rebuttal?" she said. "The problem's bigger than the three of us. In the end, the school has all the answers. All we can do is argue back and forth. I'm free to interpret the situation as I see fit, and you may do the same. That's all there is to it, right?"

"You're quite talkative. I never thought you'd be so loquacious."

"What... That's just because you were being insistent."

That wasn't true. Normally, Horikita wouldn't even entertain the idea of such a thing. She either would have dismissed it as nonsense and moved on, or she would have "punished" us. She probably isn't aware of it, but she shares our sentiments.

"The day we met, do you remember what happened on the bus?" he said.

"You mean when we refused to give up our seats to an elderly woman? Well, just us two. Kawasaki-kun offered her his seat."

"Hey! I ended the situation quickly, didn't I? You two also thought it was annoying, right?"

"Well, good for you. I didn't give up my seat because there wasn't any real merit. It would have been a waste of time and effort."

"So you only think in terms of gain and loss, huh? Well, that does sound like you." Ayanokouji commented.

"Is there something wrong with that? People are calculating creatures, for the most part. If you sell goods, you receive money. If you do someone a favor, that debt of gratitude will be repaid."

"No, there's nothing wrong with that. I think the same thing."

"So then—"

"If you keep to that belief, you'll need to maintain a broad perspective on life. You're so angry and dissatisfied, you can't see what's in front of you."

"Who do you think you are? Do you even have the ability to find fault with me?"

As if to prove his point, Horikita lashed out at Ayanokouji verbally. Ironic.

"I don't know what abilities I have, but I see what you don't. It's the one flaw of the seemingly perfect person known as Horikita Suzune."

Horikita snorted as if she found it amusing.

"Your flaw is that you think of everyone else a burden, and so you detach yourself and never let anyone come close. Isn't it possible they placed you in Class D because you consider yourself superior to everyone?"

"It's almost as if you're saying that I'm the same as Sudo-kun and his group," she muttered.

"So, you're saying that you're superior to him?" I said.

"Obviously. Just look at our test scores. That should be proof enough."

"Academically, you're superior. There's no arguing that. However, we've been told that the school doesn't only focus on intelligence. That would mean that there is a possibility of an exam being based purely on athletic ability, no?

"That's—"

"I'm basically just parroting what Ayanokouji said, but he's right. You're too narrow-minded to see that your intelligence doesn't equal superiority. Another example might be an exam revolving around social skills. Kushida would surely be a great asset to the class. Does that make her superior to you? No. We all have our strengths and weaknesses. It could even be said that 'superior' people don't truly exist."

Horikita flinched as I said that. She looked like she wanted to refute my words. However, no words came out. She was stuck.

"That's just pure conjecture. Nothing more than armchair speculation,"

"Seriously? Remember what Chabashira-sensei said. When we were in the guidance room, she said, 'Who exactly decided that smart people are categorically superior?' Those were her exact words. Based on that, it's clear that academic ability by itself doesn't determine the rankings."

I was surprised at myself. This was the most I'd ever spoken in a conversation. Was I getting concerned about Horikita? I didn't even know myself.

Horikita looked around for an escape, but before she could, Ayanokouji cut her off.

"You said you wouldn't regret abandoning the students who failed, but you would. You would feel a great deal of regret if Sudo and the others were expelled."

Horikita looked at both of us.

"You two are rather talkative today, too. Especially you, Ayanokouji-kun. For someone who likes to avoid trouble, it's odd."

"You're probably right about that."

"It's frustrating, but what the two of you said was basically correct. You've persuaded me; I have to concede that point. However, I still don't understand. What is it you two want? Why come to this school? Why work so hard to convince me?"

"I see. So that's what you think."

"If someone lacks persuasiveness, he or she won't be able to make others believe in their cunning theories."

Horikita wanted to know why both of us were desperate to change her mind. It was something I wanted to know too.

"Cut the crap. I want to know the real reason. Is it for points? To rise up, even by one class level? Or is it to save your friends?"

"Because I want to know what a person with true merit looks like. What is equality?"

Merit and equality, huh?

"I came to this school to find answers to those questions."

"Could you let me go?"

"Oh, sorry." Ayanokouji had been holding Horikita's wrist the whole time. She looked at me.

"And you still haven't answered me yet."

"The real reason, huh?" Why did I come here? What are my goals? "I want to be proven wrong."

"Proven wrong?"

"I want to know if someone selfless and genuine truly exists."

Is there someone out there without ulterior motives? I didn't think so, but I wanted to prove myself wrong.

Horikita looked at us skeptically.

"I don't know if I can believe the both of you. However..." She extended her hand toward us. "I'll look after Sudo-kun and the others, but for my own sake. I'll make sure they don't get left behind, but only as a strategic means of securing an advantage for our future. Okay?"

"Don't worry. I didn't think you'd do it any differently. That's just like you, Horikita."

"Yep. That's the Horikita I know."

She gave us a small glare before shaking our hands.

"We've come to an agreement, then."

Neither Ayanokouji nor I knew it at the time, but Horikita was the physical embodiment of the devil.

[Vol 1] Chapter 9: The Days Go By

It was a new day. Things were relatively calm. I strangely felt at peace. Nothing was out of the ordinary. Some students were studying, others were talking, and then there was Horikita smacking Ayanokouji in the head. Totally norm—

Smack!

"Ow. Why did you hit me?!"

Horikita put her hand on her forehead.

"Nope, you don't have a fever either."

"What? Why would I have a fever?!"

"The both of you were just staring off into space."

"Sorry for getting lost in thought..." I muttered.

Ayanokouji and I agreed to help Horikita. However, I have already started to regret it. Oh well, I guess that's what happens when I get involved in other people's problems..

"So, my honorable tactician. What should I do, hmm?" Ayanokouji asked.

"Let's see. Obviously, we'll need to persuade Sudo-kun and the others to participate once again. That means you'll need to grovel and beg for them to return." she said.

"Wait a minute. Didn't they quit the study group because of you?" I said.

"Yeah. Why should Ihave to do that?"

"Don't get it twisted. The reason they quit was that they couldn't take studying seriously."

"We'll never get them back without Kushida's help. You understand that, right?"

"I understand. Sacrifices are inevitable," Horikita grumbled.

Despite her dislike of Kushida, she recognizes that we need her. Talk about character development.

"Okay. Could the both of you convince Kushida to help us immediately?"

"Both?" we said in unison.

"Of course. We made a deal, did we not? You two agreed to be my workhorses until we reach Class A, so you have to do as I command."

What type of deal is that? I doubt anyone in their right mind would ever take such a deal. I sure didn't.

"Here, look at this written contract."

It was a real contract. It was professionally made and everything. I'd be impressed if it weren't for the fact that my signature there wasn't mine; it was forged.

"You realize they could charge you with forging documents, right?" Ayanokouji said.

"I hear it's about ten years in prison." I added.

The contract was torn up by Ayanokouji and thrown away. Horikita stood up reluctantly and approached Kushida.

"Kushida-san. There is something I would like to talk to you about. Would you care to have lunch with me?"

"Lunch? It's unusual to get an invitation from you, Horikita-san. Okay, I'll go."

Because Ayanokouji and I had nothing better to do during lunch, we followed them. Finally reaching the Palate.

It was here that Kushida's plan to make Horikita her friend failed. Horikita said she'd treat Kushida and paid for her drink. As a result, Ayanokouji and I had to pay for our own drinks.

"Thank you. So, what did you want to talk about?"

"I'm putting together another study group for Sudo-kun and the others. Will you help me one more time?"

"What's your reason for doing this? Is it really for Sudo-kun and the others?" Kushida quickly understood that Horikita wanted to do this for herself, not for them.

"No. This is for me."

"I see. So, you look out for yourself as usual, Horikita-san."

"You won't help someone whose motives are selfish?"

"You're free to think whatever you like. I just didn't want you to try to lie to me. I'm glad you were honest. Okay, I'll help. We're classmates, after all. Right, Ayanokouji-kun, Kawasaki-kun?"

"Y-yeah. You're really helping us,"

"That's right."

Did Ayanokouji stutter? That's surprising.

"There's something I want to ask you though, Horikita-san. You're not doing this for your friends or to get points. It's so you can get to Class A, right?"

"Yes"

"I can't believe that, though. I mean, isn't it impossible? Oh, I'm not saying you're stupid, Horikita-san. How do I put this, though? More than half of the class has given up, you see."

That much? I thought they would've lasted longer.

"Because the gulf between us and Class A is so vast?"

"Yes. To be perfectly honest, I can't imagine how we'd catch up. I'm not sure we can get any points next month. It's disheartening."

Someone else might look at it as pathetic, though.

Horikita smacked the table. "I'm going to do it. Definitely,"

"Ayanokouji-kun, Kawasaki-kun, are you two aiming for Class A as well?" Kushida asked.

"Yes. They're working as my assistants."

Well, look at the bright side. I have an official title now.

"Hmm. I understand. I want in, Horikita-san."

"To help us with the study group."

"No, not for that. I want to work on getting into Class A with you. I want to help with everything else you'll be doing."

"Huh? But..."

"So, you don't want me to join?" Kushida asked Horikita with wide eyes. Well played.

"Fine. If everything goes well with the study group, I'll accept your help moving forward," answered Horikita.

It was obvious that Kushida still wanted to become her friend. If she can prove herself indispensable, then Horikita will have no choice but to accept her help, whether she likes it or not.

"Really?! Yay!" Kushida cheered. It's no wonder why so many boys loved her. "I look forward to working with you again, Horikita-san! Ayanokouji-kun! And I'm glad to have you here too, Kawasaki-kun!"

"Sorry, Kushida. I'm just here watching." I said. Kushida seemed to think that I was going to help them with the study group.

"Oh, that's right! You're managing your own study group, aren't you?" she said.

That caught me by surprise.

"Y-yeah. How did you know?"

It couldn't have been Sakura, Hasebe, or Miyake. They're too reserved to do that.

"Ah, Sato-san told me about it!"

"Oh."

Sorry, Sato, but I forgot about you. That's my fault.

"Good luck with your study group, Kawasaki-kun!" Kushida exclaimed.

I looked at Horikita, who gave me a nod as if she were saying, "You may leave now." Confident that Horikita had a plan, I left the cafe.

It was Monday, four days before the midterm exam. There has been a lot going on lately. Horikita and Ayanokouji discovered that the midterm material we were told about was incorrect. It was brought up by an incident in the library. When confronted, Chabashira-sensei stated that she had forgotten to notify us of the change.

Based on what they told me, I don't believe she "forgot" to tell us. She appeared to be unconcerned about it. Whatever the reason, the class did not take it well.

"What are we going to do?!"

"This isn't fair?!"

"Why have we been studying them?!"

These were the reactions that people had. Of course, this affected me as well. I had to alter the group's study plan, which brings me to my current situation.

"Hey. Don't you think we should have nicknames by now?"

"Huh?"

Hasebe abruptly asked an odd question in the middle of a break. Where did that come from?

"C'mon! We've been hanging out for a while now."

"I don't think studying is the same as hanging out, Hasebe," I explained..

"Really? Hey, what do you think...Miyacchi? Ooh, that's a good one!"

She gave him a nickname without waiting for an answer.

"Huh? Nicknames? I don't really mind, I guess." said Miyake.

"You see?! What about you, Sakura-san?" she asked.

"U-uh, I-I think it's f-fine."

"See?"

Everyone appeared to be on board. Had we gotten close enough to warrant nicknames?

"Fine..." I reluctantly agreed. "But isn't calling Miyake 'Miyacchi' embarrassing to say?" It just feels weird to call another boy like that.

"Hmm. What about our first names? What's your first name, Miyacchi?"

"It's Akito."

She turned to me expectantly.

"Rei."

"Hmm. What about ReiRei?"

"I thought we said no nicknames?"

"Don't worry, that's just for me."

Okay?

"Sakura-san?"

"It's A-A-Airi."

Sakura had a bit of trouble saying it, but she managed to do it.

"So, can I call you Haruka?"

"Yep!"

I guess I have no choice.

"But what should we call our group?" asked Haruka.

"Huh? We have to name ourselves?" I said.

"But of course! Let's see...What about the Kawasaki group?"

"Nope. Why my name anyway?"

"You invited us all together. Doesn't it make sense?"

It makes sense, but it doesn't take away from the fact that that's not a good name.

"Wouldn't it make more sense for it to be the loner's club or something?" Akito said.

"Yeah, that makes more sense. How about that?" I said.

"Hmm. How about a compromise?"

"Compromise?"

"We fuse the names together and...Ta-da! Kawasaki's Loner Club!" exclaimed Haruka.

I think that's even worse.

"I take it back. I like the Kawasaki group more."

"Nope! It's too late!"

I guess I dug my own grave with that one. I looked at Airi.

"Are you okay with this, Airi?"

"Y-yes!" She said excitedly. Having people you can call friends must be something big for someone as shy as her.

I gave a nod. I couldn't really do much if everyone agreed.

"Well, let's get back to work. We've only got a few days, remember?"

"You're no fun, ReiRei." Haruka said.

I sighed.

[Vol 1] Chapter 10: Midterm Exam

Without knowledge, action is useless and knowledge without action is futile. -Abu Bakr

"Everyone, before you return to the dorm, would you mind listening to me for a moment?"

It was the day before the midterms. Kushida had gotten up and started talking after classes had ended for the day.

"I know that you've all been studying a lot in preparation for the test tomorrow. I have something to help you. I'm going to hand out some papers."

Papers to help us? I received a sheet of paper shortly after wondering what it contained.

Huh, what a coincidence.

"Test...questions? Did you make these, Kushida-san?" Horikita was the first to react. This unexpected event clearly caught her off guard.

"Actually, these are the old test problems. I got them from a third-year student last night."

"Old test problems? Huh? Wait, will these questions be on the test tomorrow?"

"Yes. To tell you the truth, I heard that the midterm test from the year before last had almost exactly the same problems as this one. So, if we study what's on this test, it'll surely come in handy."

"Whoa! Seriously? Thank you, Kushida-chan!" Ike hugged his test paper. It was almost as if it were a gift from the gods. Well, to him, it probably was.

"What the hell? If we had these, then wasn't it pointless to study so hard? Yamauchi complained in between laughs. He seemed to have found the situation comical.

However, I had to disagree with Yamauchi. Sure, in the short term, it was pointless to study so hard. However, there's no guarantee other tests will be the same as well. Setting up good study habits is crucial, after all.

"Sudo-kun, do your best when you study today!"

"Yeah. Thanks, you really helped me out." As he took the test materials, Sudo appeared relieved. I'd imagine something like this was a miracle for him.

"Let's keep this secret from the other classes! Don't be scared, everyone! Do your best and aim for a high score!" Ike shouted with enthusiasm. I couldn't help but wonder who would share something like this with other classes, especially since we were in a competition.

With that, everyone began to pack and leave. I moved to leave as well because neither Horikita nor Ayanokouji had said anything to me.

Three familiar faces greeted me as I walked out of the classroom.

"Hey, ReiRei! Did you see it as well?"

Haruka was the first to call me out. Airi and Akito were right behind her.

"See what as well?" I asked.

She took out the study guides I'd given to the group a few days before. "Look! They're the same questions! Just in a different order, though."

Oh, it was about that. I noticed it as well when I first saw it. However, I had no idea how this was possible.

"Did you already know about the test questions?" she curiously asked.

"No. I'm just as surprised as you are.Maybe I can predict the future." I joked..

Haruka looked at me suspiciously before smiling. "Yeah. There's no way that's possible. Still, what a weird coincidence. Right, Miyacchi? Airi?"

"It is pretty weird, but coincidences happen all the time."

"A-A bit...but I'm grateful for it."

"That's true. Do we still have to go to our study group today?" Haruka asked.

"No. Because the test and the review I have appear to be the same, I trust that three of you will review it tonight."

"Okay! See you tomorrow, ReiRei!"

"Later, Kawasaki."

"B-Bye, Kawasaki-kun."

The three of them said their goodbyes and promptly left.

What a stark contrast from a month ago.

"Oh? Kawasaki-kun?"

As I started walking, Kushida noticed me. Was she still in the classroom?

"Hi, Kushida. Smart idea of getting the old test papers." I told her. Not many people could have thought of such an idea.

Kushida let out a small giggle. "Don't mention it.Someone being expelled just as we were beginning to get to know one another would be sad, right?

She had a point. It would be devastating to spend the time and effort necessary to develop a relationship with someone only for it to fail. Even more so when you take into account that the school's ban on outside contact would prevent you from getting in touch with that person..

"Yeah."

As we made our way to the dorms, silence engulfed us. I had to wonder why Kushida was even talking to me right now. Aside from helping her out with Horikita, we don't really talk all that much.

"Can I ask you a question, Kawasaki-kun?" Kushida broke the silence.

"Hm? Sure, go ahead."

"If you had to choose between Horikita-san and me as an ally, who would you pick? Would it be me?"

"That's a bit sudden, isn't it?"

Her question came out of nowhere. To be honest, I wasn't even sure how to respond to that.

"Maybe it is." she giggled. "But I just wanted to hear your opinion, that's all."

"Oh. Hmm...let's see."

Who would I side with? I'm not the type to side with a person just because they're my friend. If at all possible, I would side with the person who is correct. But that depends on the situation, doesn't it? In that case, there really isn't a clear answer I can give.

"I guess I'd side with the person in the right."

"So, if you thought I was in the right, you would support me?"

"Certainly."

Kushida seemed to get lost in thought for a moment before smiling.

"Thank you for answering me, Kawasaki-kun! Good luck with the midterms tomorrow!"

"A-ah, you too..." She left before she could hear what I said.

Well, let's see what happens tomorrow.

"There are no absences today. It appears everyone is present."

Chabashira-sensei walked through the classroom with a smile on her face.

Someone's eager.

"That's the first hurdle for you leftovers. Are there any questions?"

"We've studied diligently these past few weeks. I don't think that anyone will fail."

"Oh my. You sound quite confident, Hirata."

Hirata wasn't the only one confident. In fact, everyone wore confident looks. Chabashira-sensei passed out the test papers. The first test was for social studies.

"If anyone stumbles here, the other tests will be an uphill battle, quite frankly. You'll take this midterm and the final exam in July. If no one fails either test, you'll be rewarded with a vacation during your summer break."

"A vacation?"

"That's right. A dream vacation on an island surrounded by the brilliant blue sea."

Huh, that sounded pretty relaxing, to be honest. Other people were excited too, especially the boys.

"Wh-what is this strange pressure..." one of the boys muttered.

No doubt it was from the girls. I didn't even entertain the idea of looking at the girls in their swimsuits, lest I invoke their wrath. My experiences with Horikita have told me that girls have some sort of psychic ability.

"Everyone. Let's do our best!"

"Yeah!" Everyone howled. Even Ayanokouji joined in. Maybe I should too?

"Pervert." Horikita told him.

Nevermind.

"Good luck." I told Airi.

"Y-you too."

Eventually, everyone had their test papers. Once the teacher gave the signal, everyone began. I looked over the test contents, and what would you know? They were the same as the test papers Kushida passed out.

No way Sudo and the others fail, right?

After social studies came Japanese and chemistry. Once again, the questions were the same. After our fourth-period exam, which was mathematics, we had a break.

Ayanokouji, Horikita, and Kushida had gathered with Sudo and the others, probably to discuss their progress. Since I hadn't actually been involved in their study group, I didn't feel the need to go. Instead, I gathered with the loner club. (I'm absolutely not going to call it Kawasaki's Loner Club.)

"Well, it looks like everyone is going to pass with flying colors." I said.

"Your study guides really helped us out, ReiRei."

"Huh? I don't think so. After all, it was just a lucky coincidence."

"C'mon! Don't downplay yourself! It's amazing that you managed to guess the questions, right, Airi?"

"Eh?!" Airi yelped. She didn't expect to be called on. "Um...I-I agree. I-It is pretty amazing..."

"See?"

"I guess, but even without my study guides, you still would have passed with Kushida's test papers." In a sense, I went through the trouble of gathering them up for nothing.

"B-but...back me up, Miyacchi!"

"He has a point, Haruka," he said.

"Huh?"

"Even if he hadn't approached us with the idea of a study group, we would have probably passed anyway." Akito had nailed the point I was trying to make.

"But we wouldn't have met if he hadn't!" she cried out.

"Ah, that's true."

Haruka turned to me with a smug look that seemed to say, "I told you so."

"Fine. I'll admit what I did was amazing." I sighed.

"You see! That wasn't so hard, was it?"

"I guess not..."

I returned to my desk with only a few minutes before the break ended. Ayanokouji and Horikita came back. Horikita had a slightly concerned face.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Sudo didn't properly review the old English test." Ayanokouji answered instead of Horikita.

"That's not good." I murmured.

Sudo appeared to be in danger of failing. We'll just have to see.

This time, after the tests were finished, I went to see Sudo with Ayanokouji and Horikita.

"Hey, did you do okay?" Ike anxiously asked.

Sudo struggled to remain calm. So no, Ike. I don't think he did okay.

"I don't know... I did everything I could, but I have no idea how well I did..."

"Don't worry. You studied as hard as you could. I'm sure you did well."

"Damn it, why did I fall asleep?" Sudo admonished himself. He very much regretted falling asleep. Interestingly, Horikita stepped in front of him.

"Sudo-kun."

"What is it? Are you going to lecture me again?" he grumbled.

"It was certainly your fault for not reviewing the old test's final section. However, as you said, you did everything that you could with the time that you had. You didn't cut any corners or give up. Considering how much effort you put in, I think you should hold your head high and feel proud."

"What is this? Are you trying to comfort me?"

"Comfort? I'm speaking the truth. When I look at how far you've come, I understand how hard studying is for you, Sudo."

Well, then that means that the truth is comforting, right? Still, hearing genuine praise from Horikita was surprising, to say the least.

"Let's wait for the results."

"Yeah... Okay."

"There's...one more thing. Something I need to amend."

"Amend?"

"Earlier, I said that your dreams of becoming a professional basketball player were foolish."

Doesn't surprise me that she said that.

"Why are you reminding me of that?"

"I researched how someone could become a professional basketball player, and I learned that the road to success is an incredibly rocky one."

True, especially in any athletics-related job. It took a lot of effort for you to become a professional.

"So, you're telling me to give up because it's a reckless dream?"

"Not at all. I know that you're passionate about basketball. I also realize that you probably understand how difficult it is to play professionally. There are many Japanese people who fight to enter that profession. There are some among those who wish to become internationally renowned. You're one of those people, right?"

"Yeah. I'm incredibly stupid, but I want to play ball. Even if I have to live a pathetic, miserable life as a part-time worker or worse, I'm going to achieve my dream."

His determination is admirable. He'll do whatever it takes to get what he wants.

"I never thought I needed to understand anyone except for myself. So when you first told me that you wanted to play basketball, I insulted you. However, I now regret that. Someone who doesn't understand how difficult, how arduous basketball is has no right to dismiss that dream as foolish. Sudo-kun, don't forget the hard work and effort that you poured into studying. Apply that diligence to basketball. If you do, you might be able to go pro. At least, that's how I feel."

Alongside her apology, Horikita bowed her head to Sudo.

"I'm sorry for what I said back then. Well. Now that I've said my piece, I'll be going."

Horikita left the room, leaving everyone speechless.

"Hey, did you just see that? Horikita apologized! And so nicely!"

"I can't believe it!"

Kushida also had a stunned look on her face. She must have thought that something like this was impossible for Horikita. A dumbfounded Sudo put his hand over his heart and spoke.

"O-oh, no... I... I think I might be in love with Horikita..."

"You'll have a long road ahead of you." I muttered.

But a man can dream, right?

[Vol 1] Chapter 11: The Beginning

There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long-range risks of comfortable inaction. -John F. Kennedy

Everyone was on edge as Chabashira-sensei entered the classroom. After all, they're eager to see the results of their tests.

"Sensei. We were told that the results would be announced today, but when."

"There's no need for you to get so worked up, Hirata. You should have passed quite easily."

I agreed with her thoughts. We already confirmed that the test papers Kushida obtained and the midterms were the same, so there shouldn't be any worry. Then again, it's probably because Hirata wants to see if someone failed. He's that nice of a guy.

"So, when will the results be released?"

"Well, if you'd like, now is as good a time as any. If we waited to do it after class, we would have enough time for other procedures."

That sounded ominous. The other students also noticed and reacted to her words.

"What...do you mean by that?"

"Don't get flustered. I'll tell you now."

Once again, she pulled out a white sheet of paper with everyone's names and scores and put it on the blackboard.

"Honestly, I'm impressed. I didn't think that you'd score so well. Many students tied with perfect scores in mathematics, Japanese, and social studies. More than ten of you actually."

I was one of those people. Considering it was just memorizing answers, it wasn't so hard. Looking over Sudo's name, I found that he had scored sixty points in four out of the five main subjects, considerably higher than his scores from the short test. But that wasn't the main concern. Sudo's English score was.

"Yes!" Sudo leapt up and shouted in joy. He had gotten a thirty-nine. Six more than the minimum of thirty-two needed to pass. Akito nodded at me while Haruka gave me the thumbs up while looking around. Next to me, Airi had given me a simple thank you, while Horikita was visibly relieved at Sudo's results. Good for you, Sudo.

"We showed you, sensei! When we really try our best, we can do anything!" Ike smugly said.

With Kushida's help that is.

"Yes, I recognize that. You all did very well. However—" To everyone's horror, Chbashira-sensei was holding a red pen in her hand.

"Huh?"

She drew a red line right above Sudo's name.

"Wh-what is that? What does that mean?"

"You failed, Sudo."

"Huh? You're lying, right? Don't give me that crap! Why did I fail?" A frantic Sudo cried out.

Everyone's cheerful mood had already been replaced by confusion. They were all thinking the same thing as Sudo.

"Sudo, you failed the English exam. That's all."

"Don't screw with me! I got thirty-two points! I passed!"

"When did anyone say that thirty-two points was a passing grade?"

Once again, Chabashira-sensei didn't tell us about this. Was this something the school said to keep quiet about? Or did she simply "forget" to tell us, as she did with the midterm questions?

"No, no. You said so, sensei! Right, everyone?" Ike came to Sudo's defense.

"Say whatever you want, it won't matter. This is the undeniable truth. You had to score at least a forty to pass the midterm exam. In other words, you were just one point short. You were so close."

"F-forty?! You never told us about this! I won't accept it!"

"Should I tell you how we determine the passing grade?"

Chabashira-sensei wrote a simple formula on the blackboard: 79.6 divided by 2 equals 39.8

"We set a passing grade for each individual class, just as we did for the last test. We calculated that number by dividing the average score by two. That's how we arrived at our answers."

That raised a lot of questions. The passing grade from the last test was thirty-two. Unless the average score was cleanly divided, there's no way that thirty-two wasn't rounded, meaning that the 39.8 should have been rounded as well.

"No way... So... Does that mean I'm going to be expelled?" Sudo had gotten pale at the news.

"Although your time here was short, you struggled valiantly. You'll be asked to fill out a withdrawal form after class, but you will need to have a legal guardian present when you do so. I'll contact them for you."

Although she said that, she didn't let any emotions show.

She really doesn't care about her students, does she?

"As for the rest of you, good work. You all passed without any issues. Work hard so that you can pass your final exam as well. Well then, next—"

"S-sensei. Is Sudo-kun really being expelled? Is there no way to save him?" Hirata came to Sudo's aid, even looking past Sudo's previous outburst at him.

"He's being expelled. He got a failing grade."

"Could we possibly see Sudo-kun's answer sheet?"

"Even if you look it over, you won't find any grading mistakes. I was expecting that you'd protest."

She gave him Sudo's answer sheet. His hope diminished as he looked over every question.

"There...are no mistakes."

"Well, if you're all in agreement, homeroom is over."

Just like that, Chabashira-sensei announced Sudo's expulsion. Not a single ounce of sadness or sympathy. Those close to him, such as Ike and Yamauchi, kept quiet. There was nothing they could do. Some people even looked relieved that he was being expelled. They figured it was best to get rid of a nuisance like Sudo.

"Sudo, come to the faculty room after class. That is all."

"Chabashira-sensei. May I have a moment of your time?"

For the first time, Horikita spoke up, raising her hand as she did so. The class, and even Chabashira-sensei, were surprised at this development.

"Well, this is unusual, Horikita. Why?"

"Earlier, you said that the previous test had a passing grade of thirty-two points. You arrived at that number by using the same formula you showed us today. Were there no mistakes in calculating the passing grade for the last test?"

"There were no mistakes."

"Then, that raised one more question. I'd calculated the average score for the previous test to be 64.4 points. If I were to divide that by two, I would get 32.2 points. In other words, higher than 32 points. Despite that, the passing grade was set at 32. That means that you left off the decimal. That contradicts what you did this time."

"Th-that's right. If you follow what you did last time, the passing grade for the midterm should be thirty-nine points."

Horikita had said what I had been thinking. I wonder how she's going to explain this.

"I see. Did you anticipate that Sudo would just barely pass, then? You only scored exceedingly low in English, after all."

"Horikita, you..."

True enough, Horikita had gotten a perfect score in everything—except in English. She had obtained a score of fifty-one points in English.

"You really—"

For the slim chance that her classmate wouldn't be expelled, the normally arrogant Horikita had reduced her grade. How noble.

"If you believe that my thinking is incorrect, could you please say why the calculation differs between this test and the last test?" she asked.

"I see. In that case, I'll explain in more detail. Unfortunately, your calculation is off. We didn't simply omit the decimal when we calculated the passing grade. We rounded the numbers up or down. On the last test, we rounded down to thirty-two points, and on this, we rounded up to forty. There's your answer."

"Tch..."

What incredibly bad luck! Sudo's fate was all but sealed.

"You should have noticed that we rounded the numbers, but to hold on to that possibility... Well, too bad. At any rate, first period will be starting soon. I'll be going."

Chabashira-sensei slammed the door shut, leaving nothing but silence in the class.

"I'm sorry. I should have tried to lower my score just a little more," muttered Horikita.

A still dumbfounded Sudo called out to Horikita. "Why? You said that you hated me,"

"Don't misunderstand. I did this for my own sake. It was all for nothing, though."

Ayanokouji suddenly got up from his seat.

"Wh-where are you going, Ayanokouji?"

"Bathroom," he answered.

I got up from my seat as well.

"Going to grab a snack." I said before anyone could ask where I was going.

Quickly, I caught up with Ayanokouji. He raised an eyebrow when he saw me.

"Curious," I said. He continued to look at me for a few seconds before shrugging.

As we made our way to the faculty room, we spotted Chabashira-sensei looking out a window into the first-floor hallway.

"Ayanokouji and..." Her eyes narrowed when she saw me. "...Kawasaki. You do realize class will begin soon, right?"

I simply shrugged.

"Sensei. Would it be all right if I asked you one question?" Ayanokouji asked.

"You went through the trouble of chasing me for a simple question?"

"I'm curious about something."

"First it was Horikita, now you. What in the world is it?" She said exasperatedly. However, underneath that exasperation, I detected a bit of...anticipation?

"Do you think that's today's Japanese society is fair?"

"What an incredible change in topic. So sudden, too. Is there some special meaning behind this question?"

"It's very important. I would like your opinion."

"If you're asking for my personal opinion, then, no, of course not. The world isn't fair, not even the slightest bit."

A cruel but sad truth. To think otherwise is nothing but foolish.

"I see. I feel the same way. I think that equality is fiction."

"So, did you two chase after me merely to ask that question? Isn't one person enough? Why are you here, Kawasaki?"

"I'm just here to confirm something." I said.

"Right..." she said, her voice filled with suspicion. With that, I took on the role of a background spectator.

"Anyway," Ayanokouji continued. "One week ago, when you told us that the test's material had changed, you also said something like, 'I forgot to inform you.' Because of that forgetfulness, we were notified of the change one week after the other classes had already been informed."

"Yes, I said as much in the faculty room. What of it?"

"Every class got the same questions, the points were reflected in the same way for everyone, and every class faced the same threat of expulsion. However, Class D was compelled to test under unfair conditions."

"Are you saying that you can't accept what happened? But it's an excellent example of how unfair the world is. In fact, you could call it a microcosm of our unfair society."

"Certainly, society is not equal, no matter how idealistic you try to be. However, we are human beings, living things that can think."

"What are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying that we should strive for equality. At least a little."

"I see."

Striving for equality, huh? I suppose that taking action is preferable to inaction.

"Whether or not you truly forgot to tell us, or if it was an intentional slip, isn't really the issue. The fact remains that one person is now being expelled from this school because of those unfair conditions."

"So, what do you want me to do?"

"That's why I'm here. I would like to undertake the appropriate steps to meet with the school, the direct cause of this inequality."

"To tell them you disagree?"

"I just want to confirm with the appropriate people that they believe the school made the correct judgment."

"That's unfortunate. What you said isn't wrong, but I can't allow you to do that. Sudo will be expelled. That decision cannot be overturned at this stage. Give up."

Ever since May 1st, I've been listening more closely to her words, and what would you know? Her words had a deeper meaning.

"You said it 'cannot be overturned at this stage.'Which means there may be a way to overturn the decision."

"Ayanokouji, I personally hold you in rather high regard. I've thought so since assigning this test. Obtaining the old test problems was certainly one correct solution. This goes to you too, Kawasaki. I wasn't expecting you to do such a thing."

Ayanokouji looked at me with a slightly confused look. "I have no idea what she's talking about," I said.

Before she could say anything, Ayanokouji spoke. "Sorry for interrupting, but you're mistaken about one thing: Kushida was the one who obtained the problems, not me. I didn't really do anything."

"So, the both of you don't want word of your actions to get out. However, you should know that I already have knowledge that the two of you contacted third-year students."

Interesting...

"However, despite obtaining the questions, you made a mistake in the end. That's why your plan failed. If Sudo had memorized the material more thoroughly, he wouldn't have failed in any subject, right? Honestly, why don't you just give up and let Sudo get tossed out? Wouldn't things be easier in the future?"

"Honestly, you're probably right. However, I decided to lend a hand. I suppose it's too early for me to give up. I've got one thing left to try."

Ayanokouji took out his student ID card. Ah, of course, it's worth the shot.

"What are you planning?"

After all...

"Please sell me one point that I can apply to Sudo's English test."

You're able to buy anything with your points.

"..."

With widened eyes, Chabashira-sensei began laughing.

"Ha ha ha ha ha! That's a rather interesting idea. You really are a different kind of student. I never imagined you'd try to buy points."

"You said so the day we were admitted, didn't you, sensei? You said that we can buy anything with our points. The midterm test is just one more 'thing' at this school, after all."

"I see, I see. You certainly could view it that way. However, do you even have enough money on hand to afford it?"

"Well, how much does one test point cost?"

"Now, that's a rather difficult question, isn't it? I've never been asked to sell test points before. Let's see... Seeing as how this is a special occasion, I'll sell a test point for the exceptional price of 100,000 points."

"You're cruel, sensei."

No one had 100,000 points to spare. It was impossible with just one person.

"Really? Why don't you ask Kawasaki here?"

"I have less than 20,000 points, sensei. I don't think that would cover the cost."

"Of course you don't have points." she snorted.

You don't have to be rude about it.

"I'll pay, too." Someone I didn't expect started talking.

"Horikita..."

It seemed that Horikita had followed us. Was she listening the whole time?

"Heh. Just as I thought. The three of you are interesting."

Chabashira-sensei took their student ID cards. To my surprise, she turned to look at me.

"You want me to pay too?!"

She raised an eyebrow. "What, you want your friends to shoulder the cost? That isn't nice, you know?"

"Fine..." I reluctantly gave her my card. For some reason, I had the feeling she was enjoying this.

"Alright. I'll sell you one point to apply to Sudo's test, taking a combined total of 100,000 from the three of you. You can inform the class that Sudo's expulsion is no longer happening.

"Is that okay?"

"You promised to pay 100,000 points. There's nothing more to be done." An exasperated but amused tone was evident in the way she spoke. "Horikita, do you understand how talented these two are? At least somewhat?"

There really isn't a need to say that, sensei.

"I wonder. All I see are two disagreeable students."

"What do mean, 'disagreeable?''" Ayanokouji and I asked simultaneously.

"The both of you manipulated your scores for some reason. Ayanokouji was the one who came up with the idea of getting the old test problems, but gave Kushida-san credit for it. You were crazy enough to buy test points." She turned to point a finger at me. "And you, Kawasaki, did something similar, didn't you? Regardless, I don't think it makes you special or deviate from the norm. Just disagreeable."

So she did hear everything. How troublesome.

"Perhaps the three of you really can reach the higher-level classes,"

"I don't know about them, but I most definitely will."

Wow, leaving us in the dust. Didn't expect less from you, Horikita.

"No one from Class D has ever been promoted before. The school has already labeled you defective and will coldly toss you aside. How will you accomplish your goal?"

"If I may, sensei?" Horikita returned Chabashira-sensei's gaze. "Honestly, maybe the students in Class D are defective. However, that doesn't mean they're trash."

"What's the difference between a defective product and trash?"

"The difference is paper thin. However, with repairs, a defective product may become a superior article."

"I see. When you say it like that, Horikita, I must admit it sounds oddly persuasive."

It's because it's true. Hearing such a statement from Horikita, who is usually arrogant, shows that she has begun to change. The small smile on Chabashira-sensei's face meant that she also noticed.

"Well, I look forward to seeing what you do next. As your homeroom teacher, I'll be sure to watch over you with great attention and care. Oh, Kawasaki, stay here. I need to confirm something."

Horikita gave a weird look before chopping Ayanokouji on the side and leaving. Ayanokouji, clutching his sides, chased after her, leaving me and Chabashira-sensei alone. I stayed silent, waiting for her to say what she needed to say.

Her eyes narrowed. "Just tell me straight. It was you who gave—"

"I already told you. I have no idea what you're talking about." It was making me irritated at this point.

"Fine, have it your way. Go back to class." She glared at me before dismissing me coldly.

Not that I care.

As I left, my phone vibrated, indicating I had received a message.

Who are you? —???

I didn't respond to the message, instead opting to turn it off.

Well, it looks like I learned a lot today. Let's see how things progress.

[Vol 1] Chapter 12: Victory Celebration

It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves. -William Shakespeare

"C'mon ReiRei! Raise your cup as well!"

"Do I have to?"

The Loner Club (Never going to call it Kawasaki's Loner Club) was currently celebrating in my room. Originally, I planned to join Kushida and the others in celebrating. However, I realized that even though I agreed to assist Horikita, I didn't have to accompany her everywhere she went. Plus, I have a feeling Ayanokouji would prefer not to have too many people in his room. Haruka texted everyone shortly after that we were going to celebrate in my place. Why she decided on my place on her own is beyond me.

"Of course! What did I say before? You deserve some credit too!" she said, almost scolding me.

"Haruka's got a point, dude," Akito said. "It's kind of sad to see you not wanting to have fun."

"Miyacchi comes in with the clutch! And you, Airi?" Airi meekly nodded. "You see? You better have fun, or we'll keep having celebrations like this until you do, okay?"

A threat?!

"Y-yeah." I gulped. "Cheers, I guess." I finally raised my cup.

"Cheers!" Everyone shouted.

"Man, who knew you had so many snacks, ReiRei?" Haruka said as she started eating.

"Yeah, I noticed that as well. Every time we came to study, you always had an abundant amount of snacks." Akito said.

"W-were they all for you, K-Kawasaki-kun?"

They were all asking about my seemingly endless supply of snacks. To be honest, I thought they would've asked this question way earlier, but they just now questioned it.

"You're somewhat right, Airi," I said.

"You were going to eat all that?!" Haruka shouted.

"No, that's why I said she was somewhat right."

"Right." She cleared her throat. "Continue."

"As I was saying, some of the snacks were for you guys when you came to study. The rest was for when I wanted some."

"Seriously?! You still have some left?" she asked.

"Unfortunately, this was the last of my supplies. Surprisingly, you guys eat a lot."

"Hey! We do not!" said Haruka. "Back me up, Miyacchi."

"I can't really do that when you have your mouth full of chips."

"Hey!"

Airi let out a small giggle at this. I do have to admit, it is pretty funny.

"Okay, enough of bullying me. What took you so long the other day?"

"Huh?"

"You know. when you said you were going for a snack."

Oh, she noticed how long I was gone. I'd rather not tell the truth. It would be too troublesome to explain.

"My stomach started hurting on my way to the vending machine."

"Oh, sorry for asking," she said.

"Y-you're not sick, are you, Kawasaki-kun?"

"No, I'm fine. Sadly, I didn't have time to actually get a snack."

"Well, at least you can have your snack now." Akito said.

"Yeah, you're right. I guess we should just enjoy the moment." I said.

"That's the spirit. ReiRei!"

I've been at this school for about two months. I prevented the expulsion of a student. I led a study group that grew into a group of friends. I've even learned a few things; I'm curious what the future holds. I'll admit, I'm kind of excited to find out.

[Vol 2] Chapter 1: Sakura Airi's Soliloquy

I don't know how to interact with other people. I'm bad at talking while making eye contact. I'm horrible with crowds. I don't remember how or when I became so hopeless.

However, one thing I do know for certain is that a person cannot live entirely in isolation. No matter how much I may love my solitude, I can't remain totally by myself. So, I came up with a solution. I would adopt a false face and hide my true self. Then, I wouldn't be completely honest, but I would be a version of myself. I could continue to live in this dark, lonely world.

The world isn't entirely beautiful. Everyone knows this, but in their hearts, they still wish for that perfect, idyllic place. A bit of a contradiction.

I don't care who answers me, but I need to know. Is everyone else putting on a facade, just like me? Or do most people show their true selves to the outside world?

Recently, I met a boy who introduced me to a group of people who accepted me. But...

Do I deserve this genuine kindness?

Am I allowed to connect with these people?

To be honest, I'm afraid to find out.

[Vol 2] Chapter 2: The Sudden Beginning Of Our Tumultuous Future

It isn't what we don't know that gives us trouble, it's what we know for sure that just ain't so. -Mark Twain.

The timing couldn't have been worse.

While searching for a place to take a good selfie, I stumbled into something. Even a certain famous, diminutive detective would have held his breath when witnessing such a tense situation.

The whole thing had started about ten seconds ago. Someone made a trivial comment, which upset the other party. That led to vicious insults, which turned into a fistfight. No, a "fight" wasn't the right way of putting it. The other three male students lay on the floor, writhing in pain. A red-haired boy stood over them, looking down in victory. It was an entirely one-sided ordeal.

His right fist was covered in blood from the students he'd pummeled. This was the first brawl I'd ever witnessed. In elementary school, I saw boys quarrel with each other in class, pulling clothes and pinching arms. This was different, though. I could feel the tension in the air. Though I was terrified. I began capturing the scene with my camera. The shutter didn't make a sound. After taking the pictures, I asked myself what I was doing. I couldn't think clearly in my panicked state. I tried to quickly get away. However, my brain no longer seemed to function properly. My legs didn't obey my command to move like I was paralyzed.

"He he, so. Do you really think that this is the end of it, Sudo?"

Despite being barely able to move, one of the male students on the ground tried to taunt Sudo.

"Do you wanna make me laugh? You're in the sorriest state possible. You want to go for another round, huh? Next time, I won't hold back."

Sudo-kun grabbed the beaten boy's collar and brought him closer. They were eye-to-eye now, only a few centimeters apart. Sudo looked as though he was going to kill and then devour his opponent, which was so overwhelming that the defeated boy looked away.

"Are you scared? Did you really think you'd beat me if you had more people?"

Sudo-kun snorted, dropped the student, picked up his bag, and then turned and walked away as if the defeated three completely disinterested him. My heart rate skyrocketed. Well, that was natural. Sudo-kun was headed for my hiding spot. My potential escape routes from this building were limited.

I had the idea to turn back down the staircase I'd used to come up here. However, I still couldn't move, and my window of opportunity was closing. I'd heard that when someone was involved in a crisis, his or her body would lock up, exactly like what was happening now.

"What a waste of time. Tiring me out after practice. Give me a break," Sudo-kun said.

The distance between us was closing. He was only a few short meters away.

"You're the one who's going to regret this later, Sudo."

The boy's words stopped Sudo-kun in his tracks.

"Nothing's more pathetic than a sore loser. No matter how many times you come at me, you won't win."

He wasn't bluffing. He clearly had the confidence to back up what he said. After all, Sudo-kun had emerged victorious and unscathed from a three-on-one fight.

Tomorrow was the first of July, but given how much I was sweating, you'd think that summer was already here. I remained completely still in my hiding place. Sweat poured down the nape of my neck. I decided to leave calmly, quietly, and without panicking. I'd hate it if someone were to spot me and involve me in this mess. It could cast a dark cloud over my peaceful school life.

I left the scene quickly and carefully.

"Is someone there?"

Sudo-kun, sensing my movement, looked to where I'd been mere moments before. However, I'd successfully escaped mere moments before. However, I'd successfully escaped by a hair's breadth. If I'd lagged a mere two seconds, he probably would've seen me.

It was, to put it mildly, scorching hot. This most likely exacerbated my classmates' boisterous behavior. The majority of them were ecstatic because we were about to receive points for the first time since arriving at this school.

We were supposed to earn more points in May, but our class's bad behavior and poor money management skills resulted in us receiving none of the original 100,000 points we could have earned. To make matters worse, several students, most notably Sudo, were on the verge of failing.

Sudo was on the verge of failing after receiving a score of fourteen on a short test. But Sudo just about made it through with the aid of Horikita's study group and Kushida's test papers, which were actually Ayanokouji's doing. Or so we thought. Sudo had actually just about managed to fail this test because of the way the school had rounded up the results this time. Fortunately for him, Ayanokouji, Horikita, and I chipped in and bought him a point for his English exam, essentially keeping him from being expelled.

My private points and our class points were visible when I opened the pre-installed app on our phone and selected the "Balance Inquiry" button. Interestingly enough, our class points were at zero, while my private points were at a pathetic 11,000. Well, I say pathetic, but the majority of people have zero points, so I guess that doesn't make me pathetic? Yeah, right.

Regardless, private points will be extremely useful in the future. The possibilities are endless, whether it's to save someone, yourself, or to buy something entirely different.

"Good morning, everyone. You all seem more restless than usual today."

Like always, Chabashira-sensei strode into the classroom as the bell rang.

"Sae-chan-sensei! Do we have zero points again this month?! When I checked this morning, I didn't see a single point deposited into my account!"

"Oh, so that's why you're all so restless?"

"We worked ourselves half to death this past month! We passed the midterm, so why are we still at zero points?! No one's been late or absent, and no one's talked during class, either!"

"Don't jump to conclusions. Listen to what I have to say first. You're correct, Ike. You have all worked harder than ever before. I recognize that. Naturally, the school understands full well how you all feel."

Ike calmed down and sat back in his seat. Others, like Ike, were eager to get their hands on more points.

"Well then. Without further ado, here are this month's point totals."

"This isn't good. Could they have figured out a way to increase their point total?!"

With a piece of paper on the board, we could see that Class A still sat at the top with 1004 points. Real impressive. Next is Class B, with 672 points.

I guess it did help out, huh?

Class C gained two points, bringing their total to 492. Finally, Class D finished the month with 87 points.

"Huh? Wait, 87? Does that mean we actually went up? Yahoo!"

Ike practically jumped out of his seat when he saw our updated score.

"It's too early to celebrate. All the other classes saw a similar increase in their points. We didn't close the distance at all. This might just be a reward first-year students receive for getting through the midterm. Every class seems to have gotten at least 100 points."

"So that's what happened. I thought it odd that we'd been awarded points so quickly."

Well, that's certainly one theory.

"Are you disappointed because the gap between the classes has widened, Horikita?" Ayanokouji asked her.

"No, that's not it. We managed to get something this time, after all."

"Get something? Get what?" Ike, who was now standing, turned everyone's attention to Horikita with his question.

Horikita fell silent. She doesn't seem to want to share her ideas with others, at least not openly. Fortunately for her (or unfortunately for her? I don't know what she thinks, okay?) Hirata spoke in her place.

"I believe that Horikita-san is referring to the deductions we incurred throughout April and May. In other words, we didn't see a reduction in points for talking in class or being late."

Hirata had managed to extrapolate that from just a few sentences from Horikita. It was certainly impressive.

"Ah, is that so? I suppose that even if we got 100 points, a lot of deductions would've brought us down to zero." Ike began celebrating again. "Wait. But then, why didn't we get any points?"

That was indeed the question everyone had. Although it was already the first of the month, we hadn't received our 8700 points.

"Well, this time there was a little trouble. The first-year students' point distribution has been delayed. I'm sorry, but you'll have to wait a bit longer," Chabashira-sensei explained.

Trouble, huh? Was it technical or something else...?

"Huh? Seriously? If this is the school's fault, then shouldn't we get some kind of bonus as compensation?"

Everyone's spirits had been dampened by the news. Those who didn't have points were severely affected. To them, any number of points is acceptable.

"Don't blame me. This was the school's decision, there's nothing I can do about it. Once the trouble has been resolved, you'll receive your points. If there are still points left, that is."

If there are any points left? What is she trying to say?

Looking back, this event would be the catalyst that changed the course of my life.

When lunchtime arrived, I started to appreciate Horikita's interference in my affairs. What's that? Why am I thanking her when I have already made it very clear in the past that I didn't like what she was doing? I have no idea what you're talking about.

Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is that I've made three new friends ever since Horikita assigned me to lead a study group. Friends with whom I actually hang out.

Airi and I were eating while we waited for Haruka and Akito. We were the only two who packed our own lunches. I would have offered to make them lunch to express my gratitude for their friendship, but that would deplete my food supply, and I don't have the points to compensate.

Well, it is my own fault for making that big purchase.

"Why make your own lunch?" one might ask. To that, I say, "Have you seen the free lunch?" Don't get me wrong; there's nothing wrong with them, but I'd rather have something more tasty.

Looking around, I noticed that others had decided to remain in the classroom. Kouenji was as narcissistic as ever, looking at himself in the mirror. Horikita and Ayanokouji were discussing school lunches. Horikita claims she doesn't want friends, but she talks to Ayanokouji and me a lot—mostly Ayanokouji.

When I turned to face the person in front of me, I noticed that Airi wasn't eating and was instead staring into the distance.

"Airi?"

"H-huh?! D-did something happen, Kawasaki-kun?" She responded flusteredly.

"Are you okay? You were staring off into the distance."

"O-oh, uh... I-I didn't sleep well last night."

"Oh, just make sure you go to sleep early then, okay?"

"T-thank you..."

I said that, but I found it hard to believe. She didn't appear moody, and she hadn't yawned at all, both of which are classic signs of someone not getting enough sleep. She appeared to be troubled by something, but I didn't press for answers. It might be something personal after all.

"ReiRei! Airi! You two are almost done eating! I wanted to eat together!" Haruka had arrived with their lunches, with Akito right behind her.

"I-I'm sorry!" Airi cried out.

"Ignore her, you two. She's been going on and on about wanting to have a taste of your lunches." Akito quickly responded after Airi's sincere apology.

"C'mon, Miyacchi! I told you that was a secret! Now I won't give you any of my lunch!"

"I seriously doubt you would've shared with him in the first place, Haruka." I said

"Why do you guys always gang up on me?! It's not fair!" She said while pouting.

These types of situations were common when we hung out. I felt...happy?

After lunch, the rest of the day passed quickly, and before I knew it, classes were over.

"Sudo. I have to talk to you about something. Come to the faculty room." Sudo had been rushing out of the classroom when Chabashira-sensei called out to him.

"Huh? What do you want with me? I've got basketball practice now." As if to try to prove his point, Sudo showed her his sports uniform.

"I've already spoken with the advisor. You don't have to come with me if you don't want to, but you will face the consequences later."

At her words, Sudo became visibly on edge.

"What? Will this be over quickly?"

"That depends on you. The longer you stand there, the more time you waste." Sudo clicked his tongue in annoyance before following Chabashira-sensei out of the classroom.

"I thought that he might have changed, but I guess Sudo's the same as ever.Wouldn't it have been better if he just got kicked out?"

A comment was made. They seriously don't like Sudo at all.The majority of the other students were mumbling, most likely saying the same thing. Didn't they say that they should work together? They say one thing but do another. Ironic.

"What do you two think? Should Sudo-kun have been expelled?" Horikita had started talking to both Ayanokouji and me. I forget that she regards me as her worker, or whatever she thinks of me.

"No. The way I see it, his near-expulsion was a blessing in disguise." I said.

Horikita stopped packing her textbooks and looked at me. A perplexed expression on her face.

"How so?"

"Without that, Ayanokouji wouldn't have thought of buying test points, which resulted in the confirmation that we could use our points for other, more useful things. Isn't that right, Ayanokouji?"

"I guess..."

"It appears that you are useful for something after all, Ayanokouji-kun." Once again, Horikita ruthlessly insulted Ayanokouji.

Once Horikita finished packing, the three of us exited the classroom together. From time to time, we all walked together. If I could, I'd walk with the Loner group, but Akito has club today, so that wasn't an option. It would be awkward to walk with two girls.

Horikita, for some reason, never once objected to our presence when we walked together. Maybe she really does consider us friends? Nope, I'll keep that thought to myself.

I'm a little worried about what Chabashira-sensei said this morning," Horikita said.

"About the points being delayed?"

"Yes. She said that there was trouble, but did she mean that it was a problem for the school, or a problem for us, the students? If it's the latter, then..."

"You're overthinking things. We haven't caused any real problems lately. She even said so herself. I doubt Class D would be the only ones not to get any points. It's simply the school having an issue."

"But isn't that just wishful thinking?" I said.

"Wishful thinking? Clarify." Horikita said.

"What I mean is that the school and Chabashira-sensei are being vague again. First, they said there was 'trouble' with our points. But they didn't say what kind of trouble it was. Technical? People? Then there are Chabashira-sensei words about our points, 'Once the trouble has been resolved, you'll receive your points. If there are still points left, that is.' It just doesn't add up."

"That's...a good point." Horikita said as she processed my words. "And you said there wasn't anything to worry about." Horikita proceeded to chop Ayanokouji on the side. What's with her and her constant use of violence?

"Do you have to hit me, though?! I still have the holes from when you stabbed me, you know!"

"What was that? I couldn't hear you well; could you repeat that?"

"I-I didn't say anything..."

"I see. I thought I heard someone whining. My mistake."

Horikita had taken out a mathematical compass, which prompted Ayanokouji to take a step back. Also, he claimed to have been stabbed?!

"Anyway, you could be right, Kawasaki, but there's nothing we can do right now, is there?" Ayanokouji said.

"Yeah, you're right..."

Once again, there was a mystery that couldn't be solved right now. Let's hope more information about this "trouble" becomes available soon. Otherwise, the situation could become even more complicated.

After a brief discussion with Horikita and Ayanokouji, I made my way to my room. When I walked in, I felt the need to yell, "I'm home!" Unfortunately, no one was expecting me. Does the plant count?

Anyway, after watering my plant, I sat down to eat, my thoughts returning to my earlier observations.

Ayanokouji's right. There isn't much to do in this situation.

Letting out a sigh, I brought my dishes to the kitchen when I heard knocking at my door. Looking at the clock, it was already pretty late. Who could it be?

"Kushida?"

Kushida, who I hadn't expected to see, was pacing the hallway outside my room, her face displaying concern.

"Kawasaki-kun! We need your help again!"

"Huh?"

I ushered her inside right away and sat down facing her.

Okay, let's start at the beginning. What happened?"

"Okay. So I went to see Ayanokouji-kun when I discovered Sudo-kun was also there."

She went to visit Ayanokouji this late in the day?

"When we asked Sudo-kun what was wrong, he told us that he was in a fight with some Class C students."

"Seriously?"

How did Sudo manage to get into trouble again? He got into a fight, no less.

"Ah, but it was in self defense!" Kushida exclaimed as if that explained everything.

I need a little more information than that, Kushida.

"Okay, but how did the fight start? Unless he's the one who started it?"

"Oh, no, he didn't start the fight. He said that when he was going back to the dorm, Komiya and Kondo, two people in his basketball club, called him over to the special building. When he arrived, Ishizaki, a mutual friend of Komiya and Kondo, began insulting him and threatening him to quit the club. He didn't like that, so he beat them up."

I couldn't help but let out a sigh. Why was there so much trouble, one after the other? I'm not even surprised it was Sudo again.

"So, what are we going to do?" I asked.

"You'll help?!"

Honestly, I don't. It's as if I'm cleaning up after someone else's problems. However...

"Yeah, I'll help."

"Yay! I knew you were a good person, Kawasaki-kun!"

"Huh? What makes you say that?"

"Well, remember that day on the bus? You told me you helped the old lady because you said you wanted the commotion to stop, but look at you now! You're helping without expecting anything in return!"

Sorry, Kushida. I'm not helping out of the goodness of my heart. I have my own goals here.

There was no need to tell her that, though.

"I guess you're right... Any other details I should know?"

"Oh, right! Sudo-kun said that the school is giving him until next Tuesday to come up with some proof that it was self defense. If he doesn't, then he'll be suspended and the class will lose points."

So that's how it is, huh? That's why Chabashira-sensei talked about points being left over. She already knew about the incident. Does that mean that the "trouble" with the distribution of points also relates to this? Also, Sudo was given until next week to prove himself innocent. Was it a result of the circumstances at hand?

"Was Sudo visibly injured?" I asked. Actually, that was a stupid question, isn't it? If he was fighting three people he was bound to get injured as well.

"No, he was perfectly fine. Now that I think about it, that is quite strange, isn't it?"

That doesn't seem right. If Sudo claimed that it was self defense, then the Class C students should have attacked first. Is Sudo too prideful to admit that he started it? Was it possible that the Class C wanted to get injured? Whatever the case, one thing is clear.

"We need evidence, or a reliable witness. Preferably both."

However, how were we going to obtain it? I have no idea where to start right now.

"Yes. That's the conclusion Ayanokouji-kun and I arrived at."

I looked at the clock. It had been a little under thirty minutes since Kushida arrived.

"Well, we should probably investigate this tomorrow. It wouldn't do any good doing anything this late at night."

"Alright! I'll see you tomorrow!" Kushida got up and made her way to the door, but before she could leave, I called out to her.

"Ah, could I tell you something before you leave, Kushida?"

"Hm? What's up?"

"It's about a secret I haven't told anyone."

"A secret?" At this, Kushida seemed to lighten up. A excited and curious glint in her eyes. "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me!"

"It's kind of embarrassing to say, but I actually have a crush on Airi."

"Eh?! Sakura-san?!"

"But promise, you won't tell anyone, especially Airi."

"I understand!" She giggled. "Thank you for trusting me with your secret, Kawasaki-kun! It's nice trusting someone with your secrets, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

"Ehehe~ See you tomorrow!"

Kushida, with a cheerful demeanor, left the room, leaving me alone.

"Looks like I was right again."

You've confrimed my suspicons, Kushida. For that, I thank you.

[Vol 2] Chapter 3: Beginning Investigations

To a liar, the most dangerous individual is the person who catches lies but doesn't say anything about it. Then the liar isn't sure which lies are compromised. -Jesse Ball

The following morning, Chabashira-sensei made an announcement just before homeroom ended.

"I have an announcement for you all. There was a bit of trouble the other day, an incident between the student sitting there, Sudo, and some students from Class C. In short, there was a fight."

As expected, the classroom broke out in a commotion. As Chabashira-sensei explained, most of it I already knew, Sudo could face suspension, and our class points may go down. Like always, she explained it in a robotic manner, seemingly disinterested.

"Umm. So why hasn't this issue been resolved already?" Hirata, like always, kept calm.

"The complaint came from Class C. They claim that the fight was one-sided. However, when we spoke to the accused, Sudo said that their claims were false. He insists that the students in Class C called him over and started the fight."

"It wasn't my fault! It was self-defense! Self-defense, I tell you!" shouted Sudo in the face of everyone's glares.

"But there's no evidence of that. Am I wrong?"

"What evidence? I don't have any."

Yeah, there's the problem, Sudo.

"So in other words, we don't yet know the truth. Therefore, we have put our decision on hold for now. Our response and the punishment will come when we find out who was at fault."

"All I know is that I'm innocent. If anything, I ought to receive a settlement for my trouble."

"So speaks the accused, but I wouldn't say that you have a high level of credibility right now. If there is an eyewitness, as Sudo seems to believe, then the situation may change. If anyone here witnessed the fight, please raise your hand."

No one raised their hands in response to her question.

"Too bad, Sudo. It appears there are no witnesses in this class."

"Looks that way," he grumbled.

It was a terrible situation. If the witness wasn't in this class, that means it could be in another. Who knows if they would cooperate? Logically, the best thing they could do is not help us at all. After all, this school has now become a battlefield in a race to the top.

"In order to check for witnesses, every teacher will inform their classes of the details of this incident."

"Huh?! You're telling everyone?!"

Based on his reaction, Sudo didn't want word of this to come out. It was a reasonable reaction, of course. However...

Sudo, you didn't have the best of reputations in the first place.

But I guess that you'd want to protect yourself from false accusations regardless.

"Damn it!"

This would be incredibly frustrating for anyone, even more so for Sudo.

"Anyway, that is all. We'll make our final judgment next Tuesday, taking into account any eyewitnesses and evidence. With that, let's end homeroom for the day."

Chabashira-sensei left as she said that. Sudo followed right behind her. It was for the better, honestly. He was bound to get mad and lash out at his classmates. I doubt they would take his side.

"Man, isn't Sudo just the worst?" Ike said, confirming what I was thinking.

"If we lose points because of Sudo, will we be at zero again this month?"

The classroom erupted. Of course, their main concern was their points. Not a single good thought was given to Sudo. Even his "friends" didn't defend him. Fortunately for the class, Kushida spoke up.

"Everyone, can you please listen to what I have to say?" She said, standing up.

"What our teacher said seems to be true. Sudo-kun may have been in a fight. However, Sudo-kun was dragged into it."

"Kushida-chan, what do you mean? Do you believe Sudo?"

With some details I missed the first time around, such as Sudo being selected as a candidate to play regularly on the basketball team, Kushida started outlining what she had previously told me.

It was amazing to see how intently everyone was listening to Kushida. Hirata, in addition to Kushida, could have had the same effect. Despite the fact that everyone listened, they did not believe his story. It wasn't hard to see why, either. Who would you prefer, someone with no previous incidents of misbehavior or someone with multiple incidents of misbehavior? The most likely answer to be chosen is the former.

"I'd like to ask you all again. If anyone knows someone who saw what happened, whether it's someone in class, a friend, or an upperclassman, please tell me. You can contact me at any time. I would sincerely appreciate it."

She asked just like Chabashira-sensei did before. However, the difference between now and then was the fact that Kushida literally emits a sense of warmth, while sensei is just cold.

When she finished speaking, a silence overtook the classroom. No one dared to speak—except Yamauchi.

"Hey, Kushida-chan. I just can't believe what Sudo said. I think he lied so he could justify what he did. He talked about beating up kids all the time in junior high. He even told us how much fun it was to beat people up."

Seriously Sudo?

"I saw him grab some kids by the collar just because they bumped into each other in the hallway."

"I saw him cut in line in the cafeteria and lash out when someone tried to tell him that wasn't okay."

It looks like even Kushida can't get through to them. The fact that they might lose what little points we earned made them uncooperative.

"I want to believe him."

Hirata got up and spoke in support of Sudo. Could this be enough to overturn the Sudo hate train?

"If a student in another class were casting doubt on him, I could understand it, but I think it's wrong to doubt a fellow classmate right away. Shouldn't friends do everything within their power to help someone in need?"

"I agree!"

Hirata's girlfriend, Karuizawa, also spoke up in support.

"If it were a false charge, that'd be a problem, wouldn't it? In any case, you'd feel bad for him if he were innocent, right?"

It seemed that since Karuizawa was Hirata's girlfriend, it gave her some sort of control over the girls. This, combined with Kushida and Hirata, made people start expressing their support, though I do doubt they genuinely wanted to help. They simply felt compelled to help due to the agreement of the three influential leaders in Class D.

"I'll try asking my friends!"

"Well, then, I'll try asking the upperclassmen I know in the soccer club!"

"I'll ask around, too."

With this, our investigation had officially begun. But first, let's have lunch.

I was expecting to eat with the Loner group, but things suddenly changed. Airi said she had something else to do, so Akito went outside to ask his clubmates about the incident. This left just Haruka and me. She wanted to eat with me at first, but I told her we should probably wait until the next time so we could talk to everyone. She looked a little disappointed before saying, "Alright! Next time, ReiRei!"

That name isn't going away anytime soon, is it?

Kushida approached me and invited me to join them for lunch and to discuss the case, which I gladly accepted. It's been a while since I've actually hung out with the group.

"You seem to get yourself into trouble time and time again, Sudo-kun."

Horikita let out an exasperated sigh. I couldn't really blame her. Most of our troubles have come from Sudo.

"Well, guess we don't have much choice. As your friends, we'll help you out, Sudo."

Where was that attitude earlier, Ike?

In context, it's not surprising that Ike abruptly changed his mind. Because Kushida agreed to assist Sudo, Ike was forced to trail behind her.

Seriously, Ike. That's too much dedication for one girl.

"I'm sorry, Horikita. I've caused trouble again. But it really wasn't my fault this time. All I did was blow up those Class C jerks' plans."

"Don't you think that's what they wanted, though?" I said.

"Huh? You're saying they wanted to get beat up? Why the hell would they want to do that?"

I'm not going to explain everything, you know?

"Just throwing that out there." I shrugged.

"Oh, yeah! I was thinking the same thing!" Kushida shouted. "When I visited Kawasaki-kun the other day, he found the fact that you didn't get injured at all strange."

Ike and Ymauchi gave me a dirty look, possibly because Kushida had mentioned that she had come to see me.

It's not like I invited her over.

"As much as it pains me to say this, Kushida-san and Kawasaki-kun have a point. However, it still stands that you share some fault in this too, Sudo-kun." Horikita said.

"Me?! They were literally the ones who started the fight! I'm at no fault at all!"

"So, you can't even recognize your own stupidity." Horikita stood up from her seat. "In that case, I'll wish you the best of luck."

"Huh? You're not gonna help? I thought we were friends!"

"Don't make me laugh. I've never once considered you a friend. Goodbye."

Horikita sighed as she left. She wasn't angry, just disappointed.

"What the hell is her deal?! Goddamn it!"

Sudo, filled with rage, slammed his fists on the cafeteria table, spilling the miso soup of a nearby student.

"My food..."

Additionally, Sudo was able to knock my sandwich off the table.

Don't worry, Sandwich-chan. Your death will not be in vain.

"I guess it's just up to us."

"I knew for sure you'd understand, Yamauchi. I'm really counting on you too, Ayanokouji."

He seems to have forgotten that I'm here. That hurts.

"Oh yeah. You too, Kawa—what was your name again?"

Seriously? Kushida mentioned it less than five minutes ago.

Somehow, he forgot my name. Despite my desire to feel guilty, I haven't spent as much time with them as Ayanokouji has. I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised when he forgot my name at some point, but still...

"It's Kawasaki," I said.

"Yeah. You'll help too, right?"

Why ask for my name if you aren't going to say it?

"Yeah, I will..."

"That was kind of rude, Sudo! How could you forget your own classmate's name?" Kushida cried out, clearly upset on my behalf.

Sudo, surprised by her reaction, attempted to defend himself.

"I-I mean... Can you blame me?! He really doesn't make an impression! Back me up here, guys!"

Kushida gave Ike and Yamauchi a pleading look, almost as if she was saying, "You wouldn't forget him, would you?"

"Y-yeah! Kushida's right! There is no way we could forget Kawasaki! You're just being rude, Sudo!" Ike said.

Both Ike and Yamauchi gave themselves satisfied nods.

Wow, I'm really glad you remembered my name.

"Whatever. Can we just get on with helping me?!" Sudo groaned.

"I don't think I'll be much help, though." Ayanokouji said.

I see what he's doing, but self-deprecation isn't going to work in this situation, especially since Kushida knows how useful he can be.

"Again, Ayanokouji-kun? Don't worry, you'll be a great help, right, Kawasaki-kun?"

"Huh?"

I didn't expect Kushida to ask me to back her up. When I looked over at Ayanokouji, he had an almost pleading expression on his face. Normally, I would lend a hand to a friend, but...

I still remember how you left me out to dry with Hoshinomiya-sensei.

"Yeah, you'll be a great help, Ayanokouji." I said smugly.

Ayanokouji looked a bit betrayed by my words.

"B-but..."

Before Ayanokouji could finish his sentence, Ike cried out.

"Man, I can't understand her at all! Do any of you know what her deal is?"

I felt that the question was aimed at Ayanokouji and me. Ayanokouji stuffed his mouth full of rice.

At least you still have your food.

"It's pretty weird, though. Horikita wants to get Class A, right? Saving Sudo-kun means we'd get more points, so why wouldn't she help?"

"Is it because she hates Sudo? I mean, she just said she didn't consider him a friend."

That sounds like pretty flimsy reasoning. Not considering someone a friend does not equal hating them. I'm not really going to tell them why they're wrong, though.

"I don't really want to think about it, but I guess it might be true."

"Kushida, Horikita is..."

"Horikita-san is..."

Kushida became very interested just as Ayanokouji was about to speak about Horikita.

"Ah. Well, this might not be relevant, but I'd like to say something. I think that Horikita usually speaks in a rather brusque manner. But I think...that you guys misunderstand her."

It seems that Ayanokouji explained what I was thinking.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I think that she wouldn't help without any reason to do so."

"Wait, what are you talking about? You keep saying I think over and over. Are you just guessing?"

Sudo, irritated, cut into their conversation. Hearing that Horikita won't help is pretty demoralizing for Sudo, who claims that he might be in love with her..

"Calm down, Sudo. Look, Horikita is smart, right? She's probably already planning something." I said.

"S-seriously? But why won't she join our group then?"

I glanced at Horikita, who was sitting down further away, before looking at Sudo.

"You know, she's a bit of a tsundere."

"Y-you're right! Man, I knew she would help me!"

I sighed. He actually believed that. Regardless of whether he did, Sudo was able to remain calm and appeared content. Giving him that much hope was probably a bad idea, but she must have something planned. Ayanokouji must be aware of this, too.

Ike looked at me suspiciously before speaking.

"Dude, are you sure you don't have a thing for her? You and Ayanokouji keep sticking up for her." Suddenly, a mischievous smile crossed his face. "Could it be that the two of you are competing for her affection?" Ike elbowed Sudo. "Looks like you have some competition."

Sudo broke out of his trance-like state, confused.

"Huh? What are you saying?"

"Ignore him, Sudo. We're getting away from the topic at hand."

"Kawasaki-kun's right! We need to find a witness!"

Well, that would be the ideal outcome, wouldn't it? To track down a witness who can unequivocally vouch for Sudo's innocence. However, such a hope is near impossible. Worse still if the prospective witness belongs to Class C.

"Ah, sorry. I have to go for a bit. I'm going to try asking my upperclassmen friends if they saw anything."

Kushida got up and left. We didn't get much done here at all.

"You're trying your absolute hardest for someone like Sudo, Kushida-chan. That's so cute." Ike said as he stared at Kushida's backside, especially on a particular spot.

"I should seriously confess my feelings for Kushida-chan..."

"No way. You seriously think she'll stoop to your level, Ike?" Yamauchi said.

"I have a better chance than you."

None of you have a chance with her.

"If I dated Kushida-chan... Ahhhhhh..."

Ike was actually drooling out of his mouth.

"Hey. Why are you fantasizing about my Kushida-chan like that?"

"N-no, I'm not..."

"You two have to be realistic. There's no way any of you have a chance with her." I said. I had a feeling where their conversation was heading, and I'd rather not hear that. If this is how they acted in public, I wonder how they acted in private.

"Agh! I know you're right, but still!" Ike grabbed his head as if he were in agony. "A man can dream! Plus, she doesn't have a boyfriend yet!"

"How would you even know that?" I asked suspiciously. Was he stalking her?

"Don't look at me like that! I'm just checking her location. Look!" He took out his phone. "You can track your registered friends' locations on your phones! Isn't that cool?"

That sounds like a stalker's best gift.

Looking up Kushida's location, a marker dropped on the cafeteria, indicating that she was still here.

"I check regularly, even on the weekends. I pretend to run into her by chance just to make sure she doesn't have a boyfriend yet."

I let out a sigh at that. He really was making himself look like a stalker.

"Still," Ike said as he put away his phone. "If it isn't Kushida, then it has to be somebody just as cute as her."

They both nodded in agreement before looking at us.

"Do you guys want girlfriends too?"

"Huh? Yeah, I guess. If it were possible."

"Sure."

I mean, who wouldn't?

"Just to be sure again, there's really nothing between you two and Horikita, right?" Sudo said as he pointed his chopsticks at us.

At least you still have your food...

"Nope."

"Really?"

Ayanokouji shook his head.

"That's a relief." He looked at me and asked me the same question...again.

"Are you—"

"No, I'm not."

"Like I said, I'm just making sure."

Quite frankly, it was getting annoying to respond to these accusations.

"Oh, that's right! You're hanging with Hasebe-chan, aren't you?"

"Huh?"

That caught me off guard. I didn't expect them to bring that up.

"I saw you two talking right when lunch began. She had a disappointed look on her face. What, did you reject her?" Ike shook his head in disapproval. "I would have said yes in a heartbeat!" Ike began grabbing the air repeatedly. "She has big tits too!"

"She's just a friend." I said.

"Yeah, sure." Ike said sarcastically. "I bet you have a crush on her, don't you?"

"No. I don't even have a crush on anyone."

Both Ike and Yamauchi gave me doubtful looks.

"There is no boy that doesn't have a crush on a girl."

"That's right. Just tell us, Kawasaki."

"I really don't."

They looked at me for a few seconds before giving up, turning their attention to Ayanokouji.

"You have to have a crush, Ayanokouji."

"Well, I don't really know any other girls apart from Horikita and Kushida."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Don't really see you talking to other girls."

They believed him more easily than me?

"Well," Ike sat between Ayanokouji and me, putting his arms around us. "Let's introduce you to some girls!"

"That's a horrible idea, Ike." I said.

"Plus, isn't it kind of pathetic that you'll introduce us to some girls when you don't even have a girlfriend yourself?"

Seriously, this is a pain.

"W-well...yeah."

"Hey, Sae-chan sensei said that we'd have a vacation this summer, right? I'll definitely get myself a girlfriend then. Kushida-chan, if possible. Or some other cute girl I haven't seen yet!"

"Me too, me too! Even if she's the lowest of the low, I'll get myself a girl... and then I'll enjoy that lovey-dovey high school life!"

It sounded like they were getting desperate now. Is it really necessary to have a girlfriend to live your high school life? To them, apparently, it was.

"When should I confess my feelings to Horikita?"

Never.

"We should have a contest to see who can get a girlfriend first. The winner will have to treat everyone to a meal! Sound good?"

"Isn't that a punishment? Wouldn't we not want to get a girlfriend?"

"Tsk tsk tsk. You don't get it. It's like an Envy Tax. Get it?"

"And that leads to the winner treating everyone?" Ayanokouji asked, trying to make sense of their logic.

"Well, duh! A guy is happy when he gets a girlfriend. Since he's happy, he happily treats people to stuff."

That was probably true to a certain degree, but they weren't forced to give anything. Not like this contest.

In the end, we didn't get much done.

Why do I even hang out with these guys?

After school, the class split up into many groups in order to ask around about the incident. At first, I wasn't going to join in. I was still going to help, just not with asking around. It'd be impossible to ask everyone in the school. However, it seemed that fate had other plans for me.

"I need your help with Horikita-san, Kawasaki-kun!"

"Again?" Kushida, with Ayanokouji right behind her, came up to me to ask a familiar question. "Why don't you go ask her?"

"She only listens to you and Ayanokouji-kun." She shook her head.

"I can't argue with that." I said.

Ironically enough, Horikita, despite saying she doesn't want friends, keeps talking to us and asking for our opinions. Sometimes I can't understand her.

I got up from my seat, sighing.

"Alright. Explain the situation as we look for her."

I had seen Horikita leave the classroom. Didn't know it had to do with the situation at hand, though.

As she was explaining, Kushida wrapped her arms around us. Almost like a lover.

Except there are two of us.

"Um, what's with the hand placement?" I asked.

"Hm? Don't worry about it. I don't want the both of you to get lost in the crowd! Right?"

"Y-yeah..." Both Ayanokouji and I muttered.

I really wanted to refute that statement, but I couldn't. There's no way you could reject Kushida's request. An earnest one at that.

We walked around the school to see if we could find somewhere, but unfortunately, we couldn't. Has she gone straight to the dorms?

With that thought, we headed outside the school. A variety of students walked together. However, there was one student who stood out from the rest. She walked with purpose and was by herself.

"Ah, Horikita-san!"

"What is it?"

Horikita seemed surprised to see us. Despite this, she still answered in a calm and collected manner.

"I really want you to help us with Sudo's case. Is that possible?" Kushida said.

"I thought I already declined? A few minutes ago, no less."

"Horikita, I'll be blunt: If you don't help, we might not be able to reach Class A." I said.

"Won't be able to reach Class A, hmm?"

Horikita gave us incredulous looks. Showing no signs that she would entertain the idea of helping out.

"You're all free to go about asking around for Sudo's sake. I have no right to stop you. However, don't count on me helping you. I'm busy."

"Busy? But everyone else is busy with Sudo's case right now," Ayanokouji blurted out, earning him a glare.

"I have an important daily routine, so I need my alone time. It's unpleasant to have that time stolen from me."

I honestly doubt that's true. Knowing her, she would probably say that she uses that time to study.

"Are you saying that your 'routine' is more important than saving a fellow classmate?"

Kushida nodded her head up and down, encouraging me to keep going.

Horikita gave an exasperated sigh. "Look, even if I step in and help save him, he'll land himself back in trouble." She shook her head in disapproval.

"Kawasaki-kun, you were on the right track. It's possible that the Class C students started the fight. However, that doesn't clear Sudo of any fault."

"H-huh? But wasn't Sudo-kun dragged into the fight? How can it be his fault?"

Horikita gave me and Ayanokouji a deadpan stare that seemed to say, "Is she seriously asking me that?"

"I'm not helping until you can answer your own question. Ask one of those two to help. They already know what I'm thinking. They simply pretend not to know, which absolutely boggles me."

Kushida regarded both of us in confusion, especially me.

Is watching us suffer amusing to you, Horikita?

Kushida's confused stare turned into a pleading look. It was saying that I should tell her what I know.

Don't look at me with those eyes, Kushida...

Without noticing it, Horikita had already walked away. Kushida deemed that figuring out what we knew was more important than going after Horikita.

"Is Sudo-kun really one of the perpetrators? Is that...true?"

There really wasn't a good way out of this situation. Ayanokouji glanced at me with a look that told me I should explain. Instead, I raised an eyebrow at him.

With a sigh, Ayanokouji began speaking.

"I only understood a bit of what she was saying, so don't expect much."

"It's okay. Just tell me what you know."

"Sudo does share some sort of fault in this case. Since he's the type that gets angry easily, he'll lash out at anyone he doesn't like. Take a look at Hirata, for example. He tried helping Sudo by telling him that he should start coming to class on time. And how did Sudo respond?"

"Um, he lashed out and left."

"Exactly. Something like this was bound to happen eventually. That's why Horikita said Kawasaki had a good point."

As he said that, Kushida turned to look at me in admiration.

"Wow, you had already figured it out back then?" She said with a curious but excited voice.

"Not really. I just threw out a possibility. I had no idea that it could have been right. It's nothing but a freaky coincidence."

It was nothing special to come up with a theory like that. A simple look at the evidence and circumstances was enough for someone to come up with that conclusion, but that didn't mean it would turn out to be right.

But it did in the end.

"Still, it's amazing that your theory was right, Kawasaki-kun!"

"I think some of the credit has to go to Ayanokouji too. After all, he managed to explain to you my thoughts on the matter."

Kushida gave herself a light smack on the head, as if reprimanding herself for forgetting an important detail.

"Of course!" She grabbed Ayanokouji's hands. "You're amazing too!"

"It really isn't much..."

Kushida shook her head

"Don't downplay yourself, Ayanokouji-kun. I appreciate your help, okay?"

Ayanokouji could only meekly nod at Kushida's earnest reply.

"Okay, how do we help Sudo now? Do we tell him about his behavior?"

I could see why Kushida would want to tell Sudo about that. However, it won't help him or us to actually tell him.

"No. It'd be no use to tell Sudo about his problems. It would actually do more harm than good. If he can't realize this on his own, then saving him would be pointless."

This was Horikita's point.

"I understand. I'll follow your advice, Kawasaki-kun."

"Alright, let's go hunt for the witness then." Ayanokouji said while Kushida stretched.

When we arrived back at the classroom, Ike and Yamauchi were there waiting for us.

"Huh? So, you couldn't persuade Horikita?"'

"No, I'm sorry. I failed," replied Kushida.

"No, no. You don't have to apologize, Kushida-chan. We should be fine with who we already have."

I'd still say we could use Horikita's help, but it's no use thinking about her right now.

"I'm counting on you then, Ike-kun. Yamauchi-kun."

Kushdia's appeal had left the both of them with hearts in their eyes.

"Okay, so where should we start?"

We needed a proper plan. Randomly going around asking wouldn't be as effective as if we had a plan.

"If no one has any objections, how about we start by asking around Class B?" Ayanokouji asked.

Class B has been the only class that has treated me with kindness. From what I've seen, they don't have any major problems as of yet. But their teacher...

I'd really rather not see her again.

"Why Class B?"

"Because that's the class that would most want a witness."

"Sorry. I don't quite understand, Ayanokouji-kun."

"What he's trying to say is that since Class C is a major threat to Class B, they would want something that could potentially slow down their progress. A witness to prove them wrong would do exactly that." I said.

"Okay. But why not start with Class A?"

I looked at Ayanokouji to further explain.

"We know too little about Class A. It's highly probable that they wouldn't want to get involved in something that could negatively impact their points. It's also possible that they simply don't care about the other classes."

"To add to what he's saying, right now, the difference in points between Class A and B is 332. They could not care because the difference in points might be big enough to warrant inaction."

For them, there was no benefit in helping us, the lower classes. Well, you could say they could gain the good grace of the other classes, but they deemed that to be unnecessary.

Kushida nodded. "Well, let's go to Class B right away!"

"Stop." Ayanokouji grabbed the back of Kushida's collar.

"Nyaa!" Surprised, Kushida let out a cat-like noise.

That was actually cute.

"So cuuute!" With hearts in their eyes, Ike and Yamauchi let out cries of joy at the adorable sight.

"It is certainly true that your excellent communication skills are indispensable. However, this isn't the same as casually scrolling into another class and trying to make friends."

Before Kushida could respond, I interjected with my own thoughts.

"Actually, it might be that way."

"Huh?"

All four of them looked at me, confused or surprised.

"When I visited their class on the first day of school, they were all friendly and welcoming."

Well, mostly everybody. There was one girl with violet twintails who seemed like she didn't like interacting with people. It honestly reminded me of Horikita.

"So it stands to reason that they would gladly give any information that they might have seen."

It was also a possibility that the witness was in their class, but I doubt it. Otherwise, they would have spoken up already.

"I see. You make a good point, Kawasaki." Ayanokouji nodded.

"Hold up. You visited other classes on the first day of school? We could have done that?" Ike asked.

"Yeah? There was nothing stopping us from doing so. I simply went and introduced myself, except for Class A. I ran out of time to do so."

"Let's get back on track, okay?" Ayanokouji said.

"Sorry," Ike muttered.

"It's settled then! Let's go ask around Class B!" Kushida exclaimed. However...

"Good luck on that, you guys." I said.

"Huh? You're not coming, Kawasaki-kun?"

"I can't help today. Something important came up. I'll gladly help tomorrow, though."

"I see..." Kushida looked down at the ground, thinking. "Well, good luck on your important matter too! I'll text you if anything important comes up!"

"Sounds good."

They promptly left, leaving me alone with the third of the class that remained. When I was talking just now, I felt someone's gaze lingering on me, and I already knew who it was. I walked up to them and started talking.

"Did you need something, Airi?"

[Vol 2] Chapter 4: The Witness

A man of genius makes no mistakes; his errors are volitional and are the portals of discovery. -James Joyce

The next morning, I listened to the conversations of other students. It quickly became apparent that no one had managed to get any relevant information. Essentially, the search yesterday was useless.

For them, but not for me.

But that doesn't matter right now.

"Man, can we even prove that those Class C guys were in the wrong?" Ike spoke up, garnering some attention.

"As long as we can find a witness, it's not impossible. Let's keep trying our best, Ike-kun."

"Before we try our best, though, is there even a witness in the first place?"

Oh, yes, there certainly is one.

"Didn't Sudo only say that he thought someone might've been there? Wasn't that just a lie? I mean, he is violent, and he does provoke people."

"If we keep doubting him, we won't make any progress. Am I wrong?"

"I guess, you're probably right about that, but...if Sudo is in the wrong, then our hard-earned points are all going to be stripped away, right? We'll be at zero. Zero! We'll be back to having no pocket money at all. Our dreams of screwing around to our hearts' content will remain unrealized!"

Even though they've already seen where screwing around will lead, they still fantasize about their dream school life, unaware that their wish will have to remain unrealized in order to reach Class A.

"Then it would be a good idea for everyone to start saving up again," Hirata said. "It's only been three months since we started here."

Hirata's speech seemed to once again inspire everyone. Girls were blushing, and Karuizawa, his girlfriend, was looking at him dreamily. The boys, as always, were glaring at Hirata for stealing the girls' attention.

"I do think our points are important. They're tied to our motivation, right? So, I will defend our class points until my last breath. Even if it's 87 points."

"I understand how you feel. However, it can be dangerous to cling to our points and lose sight of reality. The most important thing is to treasure our friends as much as possible."

Hirata may be right. However, there would be no point in treasuring our friends if they're too miserable for not having points. His way of thinking is too unrealistic. It's also good to note that some people place financial gain over friendship.

"Even if Sudo was at fault?" Ike asked.

Hirata immediately nodded. He wanted to have everyone graduate here happily, leaving no one behind. As Ike realized this, he directed his gaze downward in shame.

"I think what you're saying is reasonable, Hirata-kun, but I still want my points. The students in Class A get nearly 100,000 points every month. I'm super envious of them. There are girls in their class who buy lots of stylish clothes and accessories. Aren't we just the bottom of the barrel compared to them?"

Karuizawa spoke up, giving her point of view. It was true that we were at the bottom of the barrel. "Defective," as Chabashira-sensei puts it, and her way of thinking clearly reflects that.

"Why couldn't I have been in Class A from the start? If I were in Class A, I'd probably be loving every second of my student life."

"I wish I was in A, too. I'd be doing so much fun stuff with my friends."

Just like that, the discussion about saving Sudo turned into a discussion about their grievances. If the students from the other classes were to see this pitiful scene, they would most certainly laugh. The majority of the class hasn't come to realize that the way they're thinking is the exact reason they were put in Class D.

If, by chance, they were put into a higher class such as A or B, they wouldn't contribute much, only leeching off the work of others. They would gain the ire of their fellow classmates.

"It would be awesome if there was some secret trick we could use to switch to Class A in an instant. Saving up class points is way too hard."

Even if there were a way, it would probably have some close to impossible requirements.

"Then cheer up, Ike, because there is one way to instantly reach Class A."

Chabashira-sensei spoke as she stood in the entranceway.

"Wait. What did you say, sensei?" Ike said, almost falling from his chair.

"I said that there's a way to reach Class A without class points."

At this, I became more intrigued by the conversation.

"Come on, now. Don't tease us, Sae-chan-sensei!"

Going back to calling her by her nickname, Ike dismissed Chabashira-sensei's claims as simple teasing. However, by the look on her face, she isn't joking.

"It's true. At this school, there are certain special methods you can use,"

"I don't think she's saying that just to confuse us."

While it's true that Chabashira-sensei refrained from telling us important information at times, she never once lied about the information she gave.

"Sensei, what are these special methods?" Ike asked in a more polite tone.

It seemed like everyone was holding their breath, waiting for an answer to come from her. The tension was palpable.

"I told you on the day you arrived. I said there's nothing you can't buy with your points at this school. In other words, you can change classes by using your personal points."

Chabashira-sensei shot a quick glance over at Horikita and Ayanokouji while giving a small glare at me. All three of us had tested that very method. However, her glare at me was for something I bought and used that she didn't approve of.

"S-seriously! How many points do we need to save up to do that?!"

"Twenty million. Do your best to conserve points. Do that, and you can enter whichever class you like."

Ike, upon hearing the high number, finally fell out of his chair.

"Did you just say twenty million? That's impossible, though!"

Everyone groaned and booed. They had essentially gotten excited for an impossible task.

"Normally, yes, it would be impossible. However, as it's an avenue to Class A, it's naturally expensive. If I were to reduce the number by one digit, there would probably be over 100 people in Class A come graduation. Then there'd be no point to our system,"

Even if we were theoretically able to get 100,000 points a month, it would only amount to about 3.6 million. However, that's assuming we don't spend anything at all, which will never happen with this class or any other class, for that matter.

"Just out of curiosity, has anyone successfully changed their class like this before?"

That was the question. However, considering several factors, the answer was probably no.

"Unfortunately, no. No one has done it before. The reason why is as clear as day. Even if you perfectly maintained your class points upon starting school here, after three years you'd only have 3.6 million. Class A could raise points enough to reach four million. Normally, you simply wouldn't be able to do it."

"So, doesn't that just mean it's impossible?"

"It's almost impossible. However, that does not mean it actually is impossible. There's a big difference, Ike."

Chabashira-sensei's right. However, that "big difference" means nothing if we're nowhere near the starting goal.

"May I ask one question, please?"

Horkita finally spoke up. She seemed serious about asking her question. After all, realistic or not, this was a potential way into Class A.

"What is the highest number of points that a student has saved since the opening of this school? I'm just asking for the sake of reference."

"A very good question, Horikita. About three years ago, one student from Class B saved nearly 12 million points before graduating."

"T-twelve million?! A student from Class B?!"

"He was expelled before graduation, however, so he was unable to save those 20 million points in the end. He was engaged in a large-scale fraudulent operation to save up points."

"Fraudulent?"

"He took advantage of the newly admitted first-year students who didn't yet understand the system. He went to them one by one and scammed points out of them, so he could reach the 20 million points necessary to move to Class A. There was no way the school could overlook such reckless actions, however. I don't think that his goal was particularly bad, but people who break the rules must be punished."

So he had the right idea but the wrong execution.

"So, you're saying that even if we were to use criminal methods, 12 million points is about the limit?" Horikita muttered.

"Give up on that method. Strive to save up your points responsibly."

Essentially, telling us about this was pointless. It seemed kind of cruel, to be honest. To raise the hopes of many students just to crush them immediately. There was no way reaching that goal was feasible. Unless...there were other circumstances at play, such as the recent exam, where we gained points for passing. Will there be other exams like that? Or was that a special type of exam?

"Oh, that reminds me. None of you have gotten points yet from club activities, have you?" Chabashira-sensei remarked.

"What do you mean?"

"There are cases where individuals may win points based on their efforts in club activities or their degree of participation. For example, if someone in a calligraphy club were to win a contest, they would receive corresponding points for that award."

I glanced at Akito, and he shook his head. It seemed that he hadn't gotten any points from the archery club.

"Y-you mean we can get points for participating in clubs?!"

"Yes. The other classes should have already been well informed of this."

"Wh-what the hell? That's so mean! Why didn't you tell us earlier?!"

"I simply forgot, sorry. However, extracurricular activities aren't just there as a way to earn points. So it shouldn't make any difference when you learned this information,"

With all the things she "forgot," I'm starting to doubt she's not doing this intentionally.

"No, no, no! That's not true at all! If you'd told me before, I—"

"Are you saying you would have participated in extracurricular activities? Do you really think you would've been able to see any results after joining a club, results like winning prizes or being in games, with such shallow feelings?"

"Well...you might be right about that, but... It was possible!"

They both had a point. If we had been told that earlier, more people would have joined clubs and could have received points. However, this could be detrimental for the people that have a genuine passion for the activity they're partaking in, as they would see that people are only joining for points and not the club itself.

"You know, if you think back on it now, it was obvious from the start."

"What do you mean, Hirata-kun?"

"Think back. Remember what our P.E. instructor Higashiyama-sensei said when we went to the pool? He said the student who got the best time during our first class would get 5000 points. That was a stepping stone to prepare us for other opportunities. It seems plausible, right?"

It definitely does seem possible. However, I still have a feeling that's not the only reason. His past wording bugged me.

"I don't remember," Ike said, scratching his head.

It was pretty ironic since Ike claimed that people called him "the flying fish" in junior high.

He was so confident in his skills.

"If I got points for it, I probably would've joined calligraphy club or some other kind of art club.

It'd be easy to think that. However, as we already know, there might be some unforeseen consequences. It could be assumed that, just as we earn points for our best efforts, we may get deducted points for not participating enough or for not giving effort.

"Horikita. Doesn't this mean there's some value in saving Sudo?" Ayanokouji asked our mutual neighbor, Horikita.

"We should save him because he's in a club?"

"Sudo told us that he may be picked as a regular on the team even though he's a first year, right?"

Horikita gave a nod.

"If he was telling the truth..."

"It's better to have a lot of private points, right? He can supplement his own grade if he fails, and he can save others."

I couldn't see Sudo doing that, though.

"I have a hard time imagining that he'd use his points altruistically, though."

"I'm saying that it's better to have points saved up, just in case. Right?"

"To add to that, although it may be unrealistic, there's a chance that Sudo can change for the better. If that were to happen, we wouldn't want him to get expelled, no?"

Like I said, it was highly unlikely, but still, there's a chance for that to happen. Someone with his athletic prowess would be helpful in the future.

"Okay...I'm not exactly saying I'll help, but... I'll do the bare minimum."

Thankfully, despite her obvious disdain for Sudo, Horikita decided she would help. In her own way at least. Let's hope her help goes a long way. Or else...

Following the hopeful but disappointing story, the class began to divide into groups with the goal of going around and asking for more information about the fight.

Great, I'll just follow Kushida and the others, and then I'll see—

"ReiRei? Can I talk to you for a minute?"

As I stood up to follow the group. Haruka had unexpectedly approached me. Her gaze alternated between Airi and myself. She seemed worried.

"Is it about Airi?" I whispered to her.

"Yeah...Is she doing fine? She's more shy than usual. I tried asking her what was wrong, but she insisted she was okay." She stole another glance at Airi, who was quietly packing her belongings.

"I've already talked to her about it. I'm helping her with a project that's really important to her. So don't worry, she's fine."

As I finished speaking, Haruka let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness. I'm sorry for suddenly asking you. It's just that, with us not spending as much time together since Sudo-kun's incident, I'm afraid we'll...drift apart or something."

She had a slightly anxious look as she muttered the last line. It appears that she places a high value on friendship.

"Don't worry. As soon as this whole incident is taken care of, we'll go for ice cream or something. My treat, okay?"

Well, if we get our points, that is.

"Okay! I'll trust you, ReiRei! And I'll hold you to that!" Haruka said before walking away.

I turned to look for Kushida and the others, but to my dismay, they were already gone.

"No use complaining about it now..." I sighed.

Even though I had the option, it would have been a waste of time to chase after them. I made the decision to head straight to the dorms instead.

I'm not going to be much help right now, anyway.

That wasn't entirely true, but I deemed myself unnecessary at the moment. They should be fine as long as Horikita is on their side.

Now, about those new snacks I bought...

"Um, Kawasaki-kun?" A timid voice came from behind me.

"Hm? What's up, Airi?"

Airi looked up at me nervously. With everything that was going on, I hadn't expected her to come to me. Did she want to talk about the other matter?

"Um...would you like...to accompany me?" Her face was red, undoubtedly from the embarrassment. I think this is the first time she's asked something like this.

"To the dorms, right?"

"Y-yes..."

It seems simple enough. Plus, she probably wants to talk to me for advice.

"Alright," I said, putting my bag over my shoulder. "Let's get going then."

She let out a sigh of relief before giving me a small smile.

"T-thank you..."

We stepped outside the classroom and started to move. We would occasionally see our classmates questioning other students about the incident.

Too bad their effort is for naught.

Walking through the hallway, Airi began speaking.

"What do you think I should do...? About the case, I mean..."

My earlier hunch seemed to be correct.

"Hm...I can tell you a variety of things you should do. But ultimately, it's up to you. If you feel like saying something, then do it. If you don't, then don't.Don't feel compelled to assist just because you can.

"..."

Airi appeared to be giving it serious thought. Given that she would have to step outside of her comfort zone, it was certainly understandable.

"I-I think I—"

I sensed a figure approaching as we were about to turn a corner and quickly grabbed Airi's shoulder to tell her to stop.

"Eep!"

She let out a yelp at the sudden contact. Which made the camera she was holding—which I had no idea she was holding—move forward and strike the ground before stopping when it landed on the shoe of the figure I had sensed.

"Hm?"

The figure, a girl with platinum blonde hair, glanced at the camera for a split second before scoffing and continuing to walk.

"Kiryuin! This is another thing I'm talking about!" A male student had followed after her. Were they in the same class? "You didn't even pick up the camera! Are you seriously not going to help the class!"

Before quickly turning to continue reprimanding the girl named Kiryuin, the boy gave us a quick glance and an apology-filled expression on his face.

"Airi?" I turned to face Airi, who had been watching the entire exchange with a shocked expression.

Airi jerked out of her reverie and hurried over to get her camera.

"Oh no! It...It won't turn on!

I went over to see the camera's condition.

"May I take a look?"

With concern in her eyes, she handed me the camera, hoping that I would be able to identify the issue.

I located the battery compartment and tried taking them out and putting them back in, to no avail. More likely than not, internal components or circuitry were involved.

"I'm sorry, Airi. I shouldn't have touched you so suddenly." I said while I gave her the camera back. Her face was wracked with sadness.

"I-it's not your fault, Kawasaki-kun... I should have been looking up..." she said, tears forming in her eyes. "I'll just...go ahead," she said before running off.

She didn't get a chance to respond to the subject we were originally discussing. I let out a sigh before walking once again to the dorms. I had inadvertently caused more problems for Airi, which, ironically, I was supposed to not do.

As I entered the dorms, I received a phone call. When I checked the caller ID, I discovered that it was Kushida.

"Um, hello?" I answered awkwardly. It was my first time talking over the phone. This was something I wasn't used to doing.

"Kawasaki-kun! Where are you? We need to talk about something important! We think we found the witness!"

That fast?

"Really? Who is it, then?" I asked.

"We think it's Sakura-san. We tried calling her, but she didn't respond. Since you hang out with her, we were wondering if you knew something."

"Who figured it out?"

"Ah, it was Horikita-san! She said she saw her act disinterested when we talked about the case."

It seems that Horikita picked up on that detail as well. I have to give Horikita some credit. Not even two days, and she's already making progress. I'm glad Ayanokouji and I managed to convince her. It saves me some trouble.

"So? Do you perhaps know something, Kawasaki-kun?"

I weighed my options before responding.

"Yeah, I do. But we should discuss this together. Are you with everyone?"

"Yeah! Um, we're in Ayanokouji's room. Oh, it's Room 401, if you didn't know."

"Got it. I'll see you there in a few minutes."

"Alright! See you!"

I began recounting the various events that were taking place right now as I made my way to Ayanokouji's room. First, Sudo was attacked by some Class C students for an unknown reason. Second, as a result of the incident, our points are currently being withheld, with the possibility of us losing some of them. Third, it was discovered that Airi was present at the time of the incident, making her a key witness in the case. Fourth, and most recently, I inadvertently caused Airi's camera to fall and stop working. The problems don't seem to stop piling up.

Kushida opened the door immediately after I knocked on it. As I walked in, I noticed the owner of the room, Ayanokouji, with Ike, Yamauchi, and Sudo gathered around him.

Sudo stood up and placed his hands on my shoulders as soon as he saw me.

So? Is she really the witness? Can she help me?"

"Yes. She was there when it happened." I said as I took his arms off me.

"Oh, thank goodness!" Kushida exclaimed.

Sudo, Ike, and Yamauchi let out sighs of relief. Ayanokouji, on the other hand, took note of how I responded.

"But there's something else, isn't there?"

As soon as he said that, everyone became confused.

"What are you saying, Ayanokouji? Kawasaki just said she saw what happened. She'll just testify, and we'll get this mess over with. Then we'll finally get our points!" Ike said.

Kushida paused for a moment before speaking.

"Is it because of what I think it is?"

"Huh? You know something else, Kushida-chan?"

Kushida gave me a look, telling me to go ahead and explain.

"Airi might not testify."

"What?!" The trio shouted.

"Why the hell not?!" Sudo shouted. "She knows something, right? Shouldn't she help me?"

I shook my head.

"It isn't as easy as that, Sudo. Airi has difficulty conversing with others, particularly strangers. Asking her to testify is like forcing her to confront her greatest fear."

Sudo angrily slammed the nearby table.

"I'm going to get suspended if she doesn't! I'll lose my position on the basketball team too!"

"Sudo, Sakura has the right to choose whether or not to assist. We can't make her do anything she doesn't want to do." Ayanokouji chimed in.

"Goddamnit!"

"So, what? We just sit on our asses and hope she decides to help?"

"That, or Class C withdraws their accusation."

I shot Ayanokouji a quick glance. It appears that we had an unspoken agreement. Depending on how well it's executed, the outcome will vary.

After class the following day, we gathered in a corner to plan our next steps.

"Agh! Is there nothing we can do? She's right there! Why can't I just go over there and tell her?!"

Not even a minute after we gathered, Sudo began complaining.

"I know it's frustrating for you, Sudo-kun. But we have to respect her choice."

"Tch!" Sudo snapped.

That's just how it is, unfortunately. Regardless of whether Airi decides to help, Sudo needs to learn how to better control his temper. We'll always be cleaning up after him, as Horikita said a few days ago, if he doesn't take responsibility for his actions..

"You know what? I'll go and talk to her right now."

No, you won't.

"H-huh?!"

I swiftly reached out and grabbed his wrists, stopping him in his tracks.

"I already told you before, Sudo. My eyes met his, saying, "If she doesn't want to. Then she doesn't want to. That's all there is."

"Wh-why is your grip so strong?!"

"Sorry. I might've gone a little overboard with it." I quickly let go and apologized.

Kushida gave me a sly grin.

"Don't worry about it, Kawasaki-kun! We understand!"

Don't read too much into it.

"Jeez, I won't do it then..." Sudo grumbled as he rubbed his wrist.

Shortly after, we watched Airi timidly leave. She hadn't said anything to me today. Was she mad at me for (accidentally) breaking her camera?

"Why did it have to be a gloomy girl like her? She doesn't even want to help..." Sudo grumbled.

"I already told you five, six now, who the witness was, and you can't even convince her to testify on your behalf. Real pathetic." Horikita, who was nearby, had decided to join the conversation.

"Oh yeah? Why don't you go and convince her?" Sudo said.

"I won't because it's better this way." Horikita said as she shook her head.

"What do you mean, Horikita-san?"

"Like I already mentioned, she won't testify, meaning that they'll determine you caused the incident. In the end, Class D will be affected by your action, but we'll be okay. We have testimony that they lied about the violence. I doubt we would lose more than 100 or 200 points for the incident. Which means we'll shoulder more of the blame than Class C. Oh, and say goodbye to those 87 points we accumulated."

Horikita spoke nothing but the cold, harsh truth.

"Don't make jokes. I'm innocent. Innocent! I hit them, but it was out of self-defense."

That really doesn't apply here.

"I don't think self-defense is all that helpful in this case." Ayanokouji blurted out, and based on his reaction, those were his true thoughts on the matter.

"Hey, Ayanokouji-kun." Kushida said, getting right behind him. Ayanokouji turned around slowly to find her mere inches away from his face.

Careful, Ayanokouji. Ike and Yamauchi are already foaming at the mouth.

"Ayanokouji-kun, you're Sudo-kun's ally, aren't you?" she asked.

"Well... Yeah, I am. Why are you asking me that again, though?"

"Well, it's just that things seem a bit tense. Everyone's desire to save Sudo is fading."

That was certainly true. People were becoming fewer and fewer when it came to actively asking about the incident.

"It does seem that way. They probably think that whatever happens, happens. That there's nothing to be done."

"I can't imagine that we'll find a perfect out for Sudo. Let's just give up on him," muttered Ike.

"What the hell, you guys? You all said you would help me!" Sudo cried out.

"We did, but there's a limit on the things we can do without taking things too far." I said.

"But..." Sudo looked at our classmates, looking for any kind of support.

"No one else will help you, Sudo-kun. Accept that." Horikita muttered.

Everyone in the classroom remained silent, implying that they had agreed with her.

"Why do I have to suffer like this? You bunch of useless jerks!"

"What an interesting thing to say, Sudo-kun. Haven't you noticed that everyone is turning on you?"

"What do you mean by that?"

The unexpected comment came from Kouenji himself. Given that Sudo was restraining himself due to talking to Horikita, he could easily lash out at Kouenji and get himself into further trouble.

"Don't you think it would've been better if you'd been expelled? Your existence is far from beautiful. No, in fact, I could say your life is an ugly one, Red Hair-kun." He said as he combed his hair with a mirror he was holding.

"What the hell? Say that one more time, I dare you!"

Tensions were rising.

"It would be inefficient for me to tell you, no matter how many times I did. If I know that you're dim-witted, then it doesn't matter how many times I try to lecture you, does it?"

There was some silence before I saw Sudo eye a nearby desk. At this, I quickly put my arms under his armpits and held him back.

"Let me go! Let me teach him a lesson!" he screamed out.

I gave Ayanokouji a glance, to which he gave a sigh and reluctantly came over and helped me.

"Puh. A perfect existence like me doesn't have anything else to learn."

"Oh, that's it!"

Sudo tried to break free from our grip, only to find himself struggling.

"Stop it, Sudo-kun! I don't want to see my friends fight..."

"Kushida's right. We shouldn't be fighting. I don't know about Kouenji-kun, but I'm your ally, Sudo-kun."

Hirata jumped in to further diffuse the situation. He certainly befits the title of class leader. Perhaps even "Hero?"

This wasn't how I was going to say it, but Sudo has accelerated the pace at which the plan needs to be implemented.

"Sudo. If you haven't noticed yet, there are cameras monitoring us." I made a small motion, pointing to the camera hidden in the corner.

"H-huh?" Sudo turned to look at where I was pointing.

"It would be in your best interest to stop trying to fight. Unless you want to be expelled as well?"

"..."

Sudo stayed quiet as he slowly lowered his hands and stopped resisting. He silently left the classroom; a loud yell was heard shortly after.

Hirata gave a sigh as he turned to us with an awkward smile.

"Thanks, Kawasaki-kun and Ayanokouji-kun. Things could have gotten bad if you two hadn't held him back."

"It wasn't much. Just looking out for a friend." Ayanokouji waved dismissively.

"Thank you. You truly are a good person, Ayanokouji-kun."

We went back to the group as he finished speaking and headed toward Kouenji. Most likely to reproach him.

"Couldn't you have been a little kinder, Horikita-san?"

"I don't show mercy to people who don't attempt to better themselves. He's caused us nothing but harm and has no redeeming features."

"Oh, you guys are back!" Kushida's frown disappeared as she saw us approaching.

"Is it true? About the cameras, I mean."

"They are. Look at the ceiling near the corners." Ayanokouji said.

"Holy crap! They're actually there!" Ike shouted in shock. "Why are they there?"

"The school has to have a way to monitor how many times we fall asleep, talk, and our overall behavior. How else would they deduct it from our points?"

Horikita seemed to be in thought as I mentioned this.

"Anyway, let me continue with what I was going to say before Sudo almost got himself into trouble."

Everyone in the group had their eyes on me, with the exception of Horikita, who was still lost in her thoughts.

"Even if Airi testifies, there is no guarantee that the school will take it seriously."

"Eh?! Why not?" Ike yelled.

"The testimony comes from the accused's class. The school will take it as Sakura trying to protect a classmate and would therefore dismiss it." Ayanokouji continued my thoughts.

"No way..." Ike muttered.

"Is that the other reason why you defended Sakura-san?"

"Other reason?"

Kushida...

Luckily, Horikita started talking at the right time.

"They're right. And knowing that, the best outcome would be if there was a witness from another class or grade. However, no such person exists; otherwise, we would have found them already."

Ike and Yaumauchi looked like they'd given up when they heard that. Even Kushida seemed somber.

"Anyway," Horikita grabbed her belongings and started making her way to the classroom door. "Ayanokouji-kun, Kawasaki-kun. Do you two want to head back together?

No way...

As if it were something natural, both me and Ayanokouji placed our hands against her forehead.

So soft...

"I don't have a fever. You know that, right? I just need to talk about something with the two of you." she deadpanned.

"Ah, okay. That's fine." Ayanokouji muttered.

"Yeah, that makes more sense."

I'd say it was a reasonable reaction. Having the usually aloof Horikita invite us was like Ayanokouji becoming the prime minister or something.

"Are you sure—"

"No."

I knew what Ike was about to ask, and I quickly cut him off. After that, I removed my hand from her forehead, and Ayanokouji did the same.

"Alright, let's get going then."

"Oh, can we make a stop before we return to the dorms? Is that okay?"

"I don't mind, as long as it doesn't take too long."

"Of course. It should only take about 10 minutes."

Things are proceeding smoothly...

Heat and humidity are two things that should never go together, especially when we're talking about weather. We were currently making our way to the special building, the place where this whole debacle took place. From what I know and have heard, this place isn't really used that often. It makes sense that they would summon Sudo to such a location.

"It's so hot..." Ayanokouji muttered.

"I can't believe it can get this hot..." I muttered as well.

Well, it might be because I'm not really used to this kind of weather. I was really sheltered as a kid. In reality, it's also because the air conditioning isn't turned on right now.

"Sorry for bringing you here."

"Yeah. I didn't expect it to be this hot."

Horikita appeared to disregard what we said and began looking around the hallway. However, our words seemed to be for nothing. She wasn't sweating at all.

Is this yet another secret power that women possess?

"You two really have changed, huh? It's already odd enough that Ayanokouji-kun is helping out, but you, Kawasaki-kun, are even odder."

"Huh? Am I really?" I asked. I hadn't expected Horikita to bring that up, especially now.

"Yes, it is. When I first asked for your help, you ran away and later refused to assist me. And even now, we've already found the witness and confirmed that there isn't more to be done, and yet we're here right now. What are you two up to?"

"Sudo was the first friend that I made here. I want to help him." Ayanokouji responded.

"And I just want to get my points. Is that enough of a reason for you?"

Horikita looked at us skeptically before sighing.

"You say that, but aren't you two being contradictory? Earlier, you said you liked to avoid trouble, but you're helping out a friend. And you, Kawasaki-kun. It's obvious that you didn't want to help earlier because you thought it was too much work, and right now, you've inserted yourself into a worksome situation."

Jeez. Is it necessary for her to analyze us?

"Well, humans are creatures of convenience." Ayanokouji responded.

"Exactly what he said."

"Whatever." Horikita muttered as we started to roam the hallways.

Ayanokouji and I both started looking around every corner, making sure we didn't miss anything. As we did, Horikita suddenly stopped and began looking around herself before speaking.

"Looks like there aren't any here. Too bad."

"Huh? What?"

"What are you looking for, Horikita?"

"Cameras, like the ones you pointed out in the classrooms. If there were any here, we'd have solid evidence that would prove Sudo-kun's innocence, but..." Horikita looked around once again. "There aren't any around."

"Ah, the security cameras. You're certainly right. If they were here, this matter would be easily settled."

He was right, of course. If there were any cameras here, then they would have recorded the whole thing from start to finish, since there wasn't anything that would obstruct the camera's view.

"Well, did the school have hallway cameras in the first place?"

"Probably not," I said.

This also applied to the main school buildings.

"Other places they wouldn't be in would be the bathrooms and the lockers, right?"

"Yeah. Most likely."

"And if there were security cameras here, the school would have checked them first, and we wouldn't be doing this in the first place."

She was right. Our trip here had been pointless. After walking around some more, not accomplishing anything, Horikita began talking.

"So, have either of you come up with a plan to save Sudo-kun?"

"Why are you asking us that? We're just your assistants. You're the one that's supposed to come up with the plans." I said.

Horikita let out an exasperated sigh. She clearly thought we had a master plan up our sleeves, which we didn't.

"I can't think of anything. Unless a perfect witness appears, the only other possibility is that the Class C students admit they lied. Things would probably turn out fine. Do you think that's possible?"

"No way. They would never admit it." he said.

I nodded at his words. If they admitted that they lied, then they would likely receive a punishment, while we would receive compensation. However, that will never happen. Well, that's what I think, anyway.

"There's no one here after class."

"Well, that's obvious. They only use the special building for the club activities."

Of course. That's what made it perfect for a fight. No one would be here. However, as fate would have it, Airi had managed to witness the scene.

As we continued walking, sweat rolled down my neck. The heat was becoming unbearable. Ayanokouji was in the same, if not worse, state than I was, while Horikita was oddly fine.

"How are you doing so fine in this weather, Horikita?" I asked.

"Well, I'm fairly resilient when it comes to temperature." She looked at us. "You two...don't look so well."

True enough, we looked like we were about to collapse any minute.

"Ayanokouji, I don't think that's a great idea..."

Ayanokouji went to a nearby window and opened it, which allowed even hotter air to enter. He immediately closed it.

"That was dangerous."

"I guess that heat is starting to affect how we think." I sighed.

Horikita nodded. "We should leave then."

As we began heading for the exit, I walked ahead of those two.

The heat won't be the end of me!

As I turned a corner, I saw someone familiar a few feet away.

"Airi?"

"Ah..." Her face had a conflicted expression while she held her phone. Was she taking photos with it?

"U-um..." She wanted to say something but was debating whether or not to say it when she suddenly bowed. "I-I'm sorry!"

"...huh?"

Why was she apologizing? She hadn't done anything worth apologizing for.

"Uh, please raise your head, Airi."

"B-but, I ran away the other day..." She responded meekly.

Oh, that makes more sense. She's talking about when her camera broke.

"No. You don't have to apologize. It was an understandable reaction. The camera holds a lot of value to you, doesn't it?"

Because her camera was so important to her hobby, its loss must have been devastating.

"Yeah...So, you're not mad?"

"Why would I be mad? I'm actually relieved that you're not mad at me. You seemed to be ignoring me today."

"No! I mean... No, I'm not mad. I was...just afraid that maybe you didn't want to be my friend anymore since I ran away..."

That was certainly an outlandish assumption. However, it lines up perfectly with her personality. She is timid and insecure, which causes her to imagine the worst possible outcome to a situation. But is this kind of behavior normal? Has she gone through something?

"Well, it seems that it was all a misunderstanding." I said.

"I'm glad..." she said, letting out a relieved sigh.

Horikita and Ayanokouji had finally caught up to me before I could say anything else.

"Oh? You found Sakura-san." Horikita said as she looked at Airi, who lowered her gaze at that.

"Um, I'll see you later, Kawasaki-kun, okay?"

"Yeah. Stay safe, Airi."

She gave a small smile before leaving down the stairs.

"What were you two talking about?" asked Horikita.

"Nothing. We just cleared up a misunderstanding."

"Okay?"

"Hey, you three. What are you doing?"

Another familiar voice called out from behind us. The strawberry-blonde-haired Ichinose was in front of us when we turned around. When she saw me, she appeared slightly surprised. Her face showed some mild surprise as she saw me.

"Oh, Kawasaki-kun! It's nice seeing you again."

"You know her?" Horikita said as she looked at me.

"Yeah. We've only talked a bit, though," she replied as she began pondering.

"So, what are you doing here?" she asked again.

"Nothing. We're—"

"We're looking for evidence to prove our classmate, Sudo, innocent." I cut off Horikita, who looked at me with a dumbfounded look.

"Seriously? She could have an ulterior motive, and you're telling her straight up?"

Even Ayanokouji looked a bit surprised. I sighed and whispered something into Ayanokouji's ear, which he seemed to understand.

"Can't you say it out loud? I'm right here, you know?" Horikita said, annoyed.

"Don't worry, Horikita. We can trust her." Ayanokouji said.

"Really?"

"Um, I'm still here, you know? Could you explain the situation in more detail?" Ichinose, who was still standing a few feet away from us, asked.

"Sorry about that. Horikita isn't very trusting of people." I said.

"Seriously?" Horikita deadpanned.

"Yeah, that's understandable." Ichinose spoke sheepishly.

Ayanokouji and I began explaining the current situation to her. Horikita simply looked on, still doubtful of Ichinose's intentions.

"I see... So that's what happened. We only heard about the witness, but we hadn't heard the full story. Isn't this a big problem? It doesn't really matter who lied since it's an issue about violence, right? Shouldn't you be hurrying to uncover the truth?"

"We're trying to do that, but we haven't discovered anything major." I responded.

"So you believe Sudo-kun because he's your classmate. And your friend, of course, that much is obvious. So Class D is in an uproar because Sudo is being falsely charged, right?"

Ayanokouji and I exchanged glances. Ichinose was under the impression that we were doing this out of friendship and/or class loyalty, which wasn't true at all. Explaining that would take more time, though, so we aren't going to explain it.

"And what would you do if Sudo-kun was the liar? Suppose evidence came out that proved his guilt. What then?"

Whoops, we forgot to mention that we already knew he wasn't.

"We already know he isn't lying. We already have a reliable witness." I said.

"You do? Shouldn't the matter already be resolved then?"

"The problem is that the person comes from our class. The school won't take their testimony seriously." Ayanokouji replied.

"That's a good point. Hmm. How about I help you out? To look for another witness or anything else that could help. Having more people will get you further, right?"

That much was obvious. However, Horikita still didn't seem convinced that Ichinose was being honest in her intentions.

"Why would a student from Class B offer to help?"

"Are Classes D and B completely unrelated to each other? We don't know when these cases will spring up or whom they'll involve. Since the classes are in constant competition, there's always the chance that this will happen again. This was merely the first case. If the party that lied wins, that'd set a bad precedent. Also, I personally can't turn a blind eye now that I know what happened."

I thought it was a good offer. I've personally visited their class, and they seem to be genuinely good people, so having their help would be a massive help.

"What do you think, Horikita?" I asked.

I looked at Horikita, who was now looking out the window, presumingly thinking over Ichinose's offer.

"Alright. Let's accept her help."

Horikita made her decision. She probably determined that there were more positives than negatives to accepting her offer. With this, I might be able to back off on actively helping.

"Then it's decided! Horikita, right?"

"That's right."

"Okay! It's nice meeting you too, Ayanokouji-kun. And, of course," Ichinose gave a warm smile as she talked to me. "It's nice to see you again, Kawasaki-kun."

"It's nice to see you again as well, Ichinose."

Even if it is only temporary, we have established a cooperative relationship with Class B. I'm curious to see how this will affect us in the future.

"Still, it's amazing, isn't it? That your friend, a first year, might become a regular on the basketball team. He might be holding you guys back right now, but he'll become a great asset later. I mean, the school evaluates club and philanthropic activities, right? So if he enters a tournament and does well, Sudo-kun could earn points. Those'll be tied to your class points, too."

We all looked at each other, confused. We knew it had the potential to bring private points, but class points? That was new.

"Wait... Did you guys not know that? Did your teacher not tell you?"

"Apparently not." I muttered.

"This is the first time I'm hearing about it affecting our class points. I'll have to complain to Chabashira-sensei later," mumbled a disgruntled Horikita.

Good, you go ask her. I'm not going near that woman again.

Why doesn't Chabashira-sensei tell us these things? Isn't this negligence? Is there anyone at the school I can speak to about the discrimination our teacher is committing against us?

"Your homeroom teacher is kind of weird," said Ichinose.

"She doesn't seem motivated to tell us anything. She's completely apathetic. Some teachers are like that."

Ichinose seemed to recoil at that statement. I had to agree that some teachers were like that. I did anticipate that all of the teachers here would be somewhat enthusiastic about teaching their students, though, given that this is a government-funded institution. Reality really is disappointing.

"Well, did you know that the school evaluates our homeroom teachers when their class graduates?"

My curiosity increased at her question.

"Really? That's the first time we've heard about it." I said.

"Our homeroom teacher, Hoshinomiya-sensei, says it like it's her motto. She says she wants to do her best because the homeroom teacher for Class A gets a special bonus. Looks like it's pretty different for you guys."

If that were the case, then why isn't our teacher trying hard enough? Could it be that she has given up on us already? Even so, she had already been like that since the beginning of the school year. There's something else I don't know that ties everything together.

"I'm envious of your relationship with your homeroom teacher. And your class environment."

I agreed with the part about the class environment. I didn't feel the least bit envious of them having Hoshinomiya-sensei as their teacher, though. She was way too touchy for me.

Seriously, what was her deal that one time?

"I think it would probably be good for us to meet up and discuss things."

"I never thought I'd receive aid from the enemy"

"You've got to take what you get, Horikita."

"Well," Ichinose began speaking sheepishly. "It isn't much of a fight right now. You know, with the large difference in points."

That was certainly true. Calling it a fight or competition would be a lie. Our class was like someone being class president, while Class A would be like the prime minister. The difference in power and status was on a completely different scale.

"Ah, it's so hot in here!" Ichinose said as she took out a panda-covered handkerchief and patted her forehead with it. We really needed to start leaving this place.

"A school that constantly runs air conditioning in empty buildings and is unkind to the environment is the worst," Horikita said.

"Ha ha ha, that's probably true. You're pretty interesting." Ichinose laughed for some reason. Did she think it was a joke?

"I don't think there was anything funny in what I just said..."

"Well, we should get going then. Otherwise, the heat will be the end of us!" Ichinose spoke as she began walking.

"Wait. How are we supposed to contact each other?" Ayanokouji asked.

"Hm? Oh, Kawasaki-kun and I have already exchanged contact information. I'll message him if something comes up. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, that's fine." I replied.

"Alright then! See you around!"

Ichinose promptly left, leaving the three of us behind.

"Can we go now?" Ayanokouji asked, which resulted in a chop to the side from Horikita.

It seemed that Ichinose was very serious about helping us. She would text me for permission every time she wanted to try something, at which point I told her that as long as she thought it would help, she could do it. One day, as I walked to the dorms, I received a strange message from Horikita.

Ayanokouji-kun's room.

That's all it said.

"Does she want me to go there?" I muttered.

Since I had nothing else to do, I decided to go see what she wanted. Arriving at Ayanokouji's room, I was greeted by the sight of Horikita mercilessly bullying him.
"Besides, coming here is a shameful act in itself. A disgrace. Understand?" she said.

Ayanokouji noticed me and gave me an almost pleading look.

"Um, I'm here, Horikita."

"Oh, that's good. We can begin the discussion then."

Discussion?

"I want to hear your thoughts on Sudo-kun's case again. Also, I find Kushida-san's actions concerning."

My eyebrows furrowed at that.

"If you found her actions concerning, wouldn't you have said something earlier rather than now?" I said.

"I agree. You should have said something." Ayanokouji nodded.

Horikita let out a sigh at our responses.

"Impossible. The very person in question didn't recognize what was happening. I'm only now reluctantly offering to help for the sake of our class. Frankly, I still think it would have been better to abandon him."

"So everything you did for him in the midterm exam was for naught?"

"That was different. Even if we were somehow able to find a way to prove his innocence, do you think he'd change? Mature? Saving him might have the opposite effect."

"And I agree with you to a certain extent. However, as you said yourself, it might have the opposite effect. Nothing is set in stone. There will always be an unknown variable that can change the situation entirely."

I'm being completely truthful in what I'm saying. If you had asked me this before the midterms, I would not have done anything. However, with Sudo's new-found crush on Horikita, there may be a chance for him to change. That would be the variable in this situation.

"Even then, his flawed personality will inevitably cost us class points in the future. Sudo-kun isn't going to suddenly change for the better. That will take time and effort, which, quite frankly, I don't have."

As always, Horikita is narrow-minded. She can't see the possible benefits of keeping Sudo. Arguing with her won't get me and her anywhere, so I decided to stay quiet.

"That was pointless." Horikita muttered. "I've heard Kawasaki-kun's thoughts on this. What are you thinking, Ayanokouji-kun?"

Ayanokouji looked a little dumbfounded to be asked this question.

"Huh? I mean, it would be nice if we could prove Sudo's innocence, but if we can't, we can't. That's all I'm thinking about."

Horikita let out a scoff at his words.

"And you expect me to believe that? That can't be all that you're thinking. You came up with the idea of getting old test questions and then purchasing exam points. I know there's more in there."

"You're overestimating me. I'm simply a cunning person. That's all."

Horikita let out a laugh before she quickly became serious.

"I can't read both of you at all. Like Kawasaki-kun said, you two are unknown variables. Unpredictable and shrouded in mystery. At times, you're completely uncooperative; at others, you willingly insert yourselves into troublesome situations. None of you seem to be constant in your behavior."

"What a way to compliment us..." I muttered.

"I guess what I should say is that you two are just blending in. Hiding your true talents in plain sight. Nothing more disgusts me than you two."

It was at this point that I decided to get up. It was pretty clear by now that this conversation was going nowhere.

"Sorry, Horikita, but I could really care less what you think of me. I'll be going now. Good luck with her, Ayanokouji." I said as I exited the room.

In the end, I didn't get to hear why Kushida's actions were so concerning to Horikita. For now, that doesn't matter. I did get something out of this, however; Horikita will become a threat to the future I want.

I need to decide what needs to be done.

"And after she did that, do you know what she said?"

"No. What did she say?"

"That she didn't do it. Even though she was still holding the marker! Ah, Miniami was cute when she was little."

The man in front of me let out a jovial laugh. It's amazing to see how drastically a person changes when they warm up to someone. I had somehow managed to become acquainted with the man, who is actually the dorm manager, by helping him.

I usually wake up an hour before school starts to take my time walking. About two weeks ago, as I was leaving the dorm, I stumbled upon him trying to pick up a large number of papers he had dropped. Normally, I would just ignore him and walk ahead, but I didn't. It didn't hurt to have goodwill between strangers, so I decided to help. He was deeply thankful and wanted to repay me. I said I didn't need anything, but he insisted. And before I could say anything else, he proposed that he would give me advice whenever he had the time.

Over those two weeks, he went from giving me advice to talking about his life. Well, I say his life, but it was usually about his niece. Overall, he seems like a nice person.

"Excuse me, are you the dorm manager?" A girl's voice spoke.

"Ichinose?"

"Huh? Kawasaki-kun? Did you need something from the manager as well?" Ichinose spoke with an inquisitive look on her face.

"No, I was just having a casual conversation. You can go ahead and talk to him." I said as I gave a wave to the manager.

"Oh, thank you."

I left to leave them to their conversation and went to a nearby vending machine. As I was deciding what to buy, Ayanokouji came out of the nearby elevator. We exchanged nods as he walked past me.

Now, which chocolate bar to buy... Wait, what's the difference between the right and left versions?

Before I knew it, I had been standing there for a few minutes just looking at the chocolate bars. I let out a deep sigh.

"Hehehe, it's hard to choose, isn't it?"

Turning around, I saw that Ichinose was beside me. It seemed that she had finished speaking to the manager.

"Yeah. I mean, what even is the difference between the left and the right one?" I was seriously confused.

"Wait, you don't know?" She let out a giggle.

"Know what?"

"They're the same thing! It's just a marketing campaign."

"Oh."

I guess I was just overthinking things. I quickly went and bought the right version of the chocolate bar.

"So. What did you ask the manager? Ah, if it isn't something private, of course."

"No, you're fine. Some people from my class wanted to make requests about their dorms. I gathered everyone's thoughts on the matter and told the manager. Stuff like water usage, noise, and other things like that."

"Wow."

Most people handle those issues on their own. What motivated her to go about asking everyone's thoughts?

"Oh! Good morning, Class Rep Ichinose!"

As we were walking through the lobby doors, two girls called out to Ichinose, who in turn said good morning back.

"Class representative? Is it an official title or...?"

I wouldn't be surprised if it was. Chabashira-sensei sure likes to withhold information from us. If she were in charge of the school, she would surely "forget" to give us points. She's that cruel.

"No, it's just something that Class B set up on its own. It's good to have some assigned roles, right?"

She's right, but unfortunately, our class isn't organized enough to do such a thing. Only Class B or A would be able to pull it off.

"Does that mean there's a vice representative?"

"Yep. It's Kanzaki-kun. You met him when you visited our class on the first day, right?"

"Yeah, I did."

Kanzaki Ryuji. A boy with violet hair that I exchanged pleasantries with. From what little I interacted with him, I could see that he was a serious yet friendly person.

"Well, it seems you've begun to lead Class B."

It wasn't too hard to see why she became the leader. She seems to genuinely care for her classmates and treats everyone the same, regardless of who they are or where they come from. She takes everyone's thoughts seriously and even checks up on them. She's a textbook example of a kind and generous leader.

"Heh, do you think it's weird? Everything's purely informal. Besides, there are quite a few troublemakers. We have to deal with a lot of stuff."

I guess even a seemingly perfect class has its own troubles. Still, compared to our class, having a few troublemakers would be great. As it stands, the majority of the class are troublemakers.

"Ah, good morning, Ichinose-san!"

"Good morning, Ichinose!"

As we continued walking to school, the number of students increased exponentially. Girls would either greet Ichinose or just look at me with envious eyes.

Please. You have the wrong idea.

I absolutely did not need another person like Hoshinomiya-sensei to get the wrong idea about Ichinose and me.

"It seems like people have a great deal of respect for you."

"You think so? I'm not doing anything worth respecting. Just doing what I have to do."

She wasn't trying to act modest. She genuinely believed that she wasn't doing anything worth respecting.

"Ah, speaking of helping other people. Do you perhaps know something about this?"

Ichinose showed me her phone, the screen displaying an anonymous file with the message "Do what you think is right."

"Um, what is it?"

She clicked on the file, bringing up the images.

"A few days before the midterms, someone sent me old test papers and the quiz that we had taken a few weeks earlier. It seemed to be trustworthy, so I decided to give the class the old test papers as a study guide. To my surprise, the actual exam and the old test papers were the same."

"Huh. So, someone, for some reason, decided to help your class out?"

Ichinose gave me a nod as she put her phone away.

"Yeah. It's weird. They didn't even want to be known. I wonder why."

So she wants to know who did it. Interesting.

"I don't know anything about that, but my class would've been ecstatic to have someone send those test papers to us."

"I guess that makes us lucky then, huh?" Ichinose nodded to herself before speaking again. "But besides that, what do you think about the rumors? That our vacation will be on a tropical island."

It took me a few seconds to remember what she was talking about. I had forgotten that Chabashira-sensei mentioned that we would have a vacation during summer break.

"Well, this is the first time I've heard that. But why a tropical island? I can't help but doubt its purpose. Everything the school does seems to have a bigger purpose that affects us."

There was no way that the school suddenly decided to be nice and give us a vacation without strings attached.

"So you think it's suspicious too? I think it's going to be a turning point in this fight."

"That makes sense. Otherwise, there would be no way to overtake another class."

"Yeah, yeah. There might be something like a hidden task or maybe even a challenge. Something even bigger than the midterm exams."

That had to be it. And if that wasn't the case, then why even call this a class competition? How would we earn points and overtake other classes?

"But if we actually did vacation on a tropical island, that would be awesome!"

"..."

"Eh? No reaction? Do you not like vacations?"

"I've actually never been on a vacation, so I don't really have an opinion."

I had traveled out of the country once with my adoptive father and brother. It wasn't really a vacation, though. More like a brief break.

Technically speaking, my time at this high school could be considered a vacation.

"Oh, well, I'm sure you'll enjoy your first vacation! Don't worry about it."

"I'll be looking forward to it then."

"I'm glad... Hey, I have some things on my mind. Do you mind if I keep talking to you?"

"No. You can go ahead and keep talking."

Plus, I was strengthening my social bonds. Talking to her is actually pleasant, unlike with Horikita or even Kushida.

"Okay, so we've been separated into four classes from the start, right? Do you really think they separated us by ability?"

"Hmm. I think it's something more akin to overall ability. Otherwise, students like Horikita would have been in Class A."

"That was something I've been thinking about. If students are ranked by overall ability, doesn't that mean the lower classes are at an overwhelming disadvantage?"

"You would be right to say that. However, you could argue that it works like that in real life as well. The world isn't fair."

I'm well aware of this fact.

It isn't uncommon to hear about people entering universities who would usually never be accepted simply because their family paid them off. Then there are those who have talents that could change the world but can't grow them due to their family's financial problems. The world isn't fair.

Ichinose hummed to herself as she thought about it. It was apparent she didn't see it that way.

"I mean, if we were competing as individuals, sure. But this is a competition between classes. If you put all of the superior students into Class A, then doesn't that mean the rest of us have virtually no chance of succeeding?"

Ichinose summed up the current state of Class D. However, she seemed to have something else in mind.

"There's definitely a big difference between classes A through D right now. However, I think they're trying to hide something but going about it in a weird way. Don't you agree?"

"Could you elaborate further?"

"What I'm trying to say is that good students and athletes were placed in Class D for a reason. Most likely as a countermeasure."

"I guess I can see that. You sure have a lot of interesting ideas."

"Heh, thank you."

Not even a minute later, Ichinose suddenly stopped walking. Her face denoted a serious expression.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

Did she remember something important?

"If it's fine with you... Can I ask you a question, Kawasaki-kun?"

"Sure, go ahead."

If she was going to ask for advice, then she came to the right person. I personally think I'm at least decent at giving advice. And if it isn't for advice, then I still think I should answer her question with relative ease. Books and the internet are pretty helpful, you know?

"Has a girl ever confessed her feelings to you?"

Oh... There's a small chance that this question wasn't something I'd read or searched about.

"Um, not really. Does it look like a girl has ever confessed to me?"

I felt like I had just exposed my most embarrassing secret. That's right; in my sixteen years on this earth, I've never been in a relationship. How will Ichinose react to this? Will she laugh at me? I hope not.

"Oh no, I'm sorry. It's nothing."

Was it really, though? She asked me that question for a reason. Also, she said it was nothing, but her worried expression told me otherwise.

"Were you confessed to?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Kind of."

It didn't really surprise me. If we were going off on looks alone, then of course she would be confessed to. Add that to her nice and caring personality, and you've got yourself the ideal partner.

"Well, if you're okay with it, can you spare a little time after class? I have some questions about confession. I know all too well how busy you are with the incident right now, but..."

"Ah, don't worry about it. Horikita and Ayanokouji have it covered."

"Really? That's a relief to hear. Okay, I'll be waiting at the school entrance after class."

"Alright. I'll see you then."

She said she had a question about confessions, but how would I help? I just said that no girl had ever confessed to me. Did she simply want a boy's opinion? If so, why not ask a boy from her class? Unless...the person confessing is from her class. Yep, that must be it.

Leave it to me. I'll make sure your confession is a success!

The day passed without much incident. The Loner group ate lunch together. Airi still seemed a bit nervous, but we had already made up. She should go back to normal in a few days...probably.

As I made my way to the school entrance, I expected to have to look for Ichinose, given that numerous students were leaving. To my surprise, however, I was able to find her quickly. She really stood out, even when waves of students passed through.

It was incredible how her presence dominated wherever she was. I tried to approach her, but the constant boys and girls that greeted her made it hard for me to do so.

I'm just going to wait a little bit, then.

"Ah. Kawasaki-kun. Over here, over here!"

Nevermind, she spotted me.

To make it seem like I wasn't just standing there all that time, I waved at her almost like I had just found her.

"Alright. So what's the next course of action?" I asked.

"Follow me. I plan to finish this as soon as possible."

After putting on my shoes, I followed Ichinose to the other side of the school building. It was at a spot right behind the gymnasium. I guess this little private spot was a good place to confess your feelings.

"Now then..."

Ichinose took a deep breath before...facing me?! Hold up! Was she planning to confess to me?!

"I think..."

What should I do!? What should I—

"I think someone will confess their feelings to me here,"

"Wait, what?"

Still surprised, Ichinose took out a letter and gave it to me. It was pink and even included a heart sticker, furthering its cuteness. Reading through its contents, I noticed that their handwriting was very pretty; it reminded me of a girl's handwriting.

As I reached the end of the letter, I noticed that the place where they wanted to meet up was in this exact place, behind the gymnasium, about ten minutes from now.

"Um, I don't think I should be here, Ichinose."

Ichinose shook her head.

"I need your help. Love is kind of alien to me, and...I don't know how to respond without hurting her feelings. I don't even know if we can stay good friends afterwards."

Her? It makes sense, though. The handwriting, the sticker, and even the actual words written were all feminine.

"So you want my advice on how to reject her?" I asked.

It was possible that she wanted to practice rejecting her, using me as a model, but we were so close to the actual meeting time that I doubted it.

"Not exactly... I want you to pretend to be my boyfriend."

Isn't that even worse than rejecting her?

"I did some research and discovered that the rejected person hurts less if the object of their affection is already in a relationship."

"Wait, hold on. Aren't you used to rejecting confessions, Ichinose?"

"Eh?! N-not at all! This is the first time someone has ever confessed to me."

Well, that was news to me. If someone else had told me that, I would have dismissed it.

"Okay, but I don't think pretending to be your boyfriend is a good idea. What if she found out you lied?"

"Well, you could say that we broke up, or that it wasn't going to work out, or something like that."

This still isn't a good idea...

"Ichinose, you need to be honest with her. Trying to avoid hurting her will only make things worse."

"But—Ah!"

Ichinose raised her head and looked behind me. It was obvious that the person confessing had arrived early. Looking behind me, I saw the girl in question, Shiranami Chihiro. She was a somewhat timid girl when I met her on the first day of school.

"K-Kawasaki-kun? Why are you here?"

Shiranami's face was filled with confusion before it morphed into a look of realization. Tears began forming in her eyes. It is likely that she has come up with a possibility she doesn't like...

"Is he, by any chance...your boyfriend, Ichinose-san?" She practically forced the words out. Her biggest fear seemed to be coming true.

"Ah... Well..."

Ichinose couldn't answer properly. Seeing Shiranami's expression made her words get stuck in her throat. Ichinose was panicking; seeing her tears had also made her lose her determination to lie to her.

"Um, Kawasaki-kun, do you mind going somewhere else? Please? I have something important I need to say to Ichinose-san."

"P-please wait a minute, Chihiro-san. I, um... Well, to tell you the truth, Kawasaki-kun is—"

"A friend. I was just discussing some matters with her. I'll be done in a second."

A jumped in before Ichinose could say anything else. I looked away from Shiranami and looked at Ichinose.

"I know this isn't my place to say this, considering I don't have any relationship experience, but you should be honest. You see Shiranami over there? She's here right now to confess her feelings. Most people aren't able to do that. They instead live quietly, hoping that one day their crush will notice them. They suffer every day, not being able to express how they truly feel. They come up with a variety of what-if scenarios. 'What if I had done this?' or 'What if this had happened?'Shiranami was able to get past all that and is bravely wanting to confess. Don't you think you should answer her bravery with an honest answer?"

"Um..."

Ichinose has never experienced falling in love with someone. Otherwise, she would have known how it feels to feel that way. It's certainly admirable that she wants to prevent someone's pain, but Shiranami was bound to get hurt no matter how she rejected her.

Ichinose's initial plan to have me pretend to be her boyfriend was even worse than rejecting her. By not outright rejecting her, you inadvertently give her false hope. She'll think that Ichinose is only unavailable for now. Once she "breaks up" with me, Shiranami will probably think she has a chance, when in reality, she never did.

I didn't wait for Ichinose's reply. Instead, I began walking away from the scene, giving Shiranami a small wave as I left. I went to a vending machine that wasn't far from the back of the gymnasium. I bought a bottle of apple juice and the left version of a certain chocolate bar, leaning on the machine as I ate it.

"They really are the same thing..." I muttered.

A few minutes later, I saw Shiranami run out of the back of the gymnasium, crying as she did. I expected to see Ichinose come out shortly after, but she didn't. Regardless, I stood there, waiting. Eventually, I noticed her trudging back, her head hanging low.

"Ah..."

As she was walking, she noticed me and looked at me awkwardly.

"I was wrong. I didn't respect Chihiro-chan's feelings. I just wanted to avoid hurting her and run away. That was my mistake. Love is really tough, huh?" Ichinose muttered as she leaned on the vending machine as well. "I asked her if we could carry on like usual, but... I don't know if we can go back to how things were."

"You'll just have to see."

"Yeah... Thanks for today. For coming along with me for such an odd request."

"It's no problem. Here, you're probably thirsty after all that."

I gave her the apple juice I bought.

"Ah, thanks."

She opened the bottle and drank it all in one gulp.

"Okay. You've helped me a lot already. Now it's my turn to return the favor. I'll do anything I can to help you, okay?"

"Yeah. That sounds good."

Will I ever be able to love someone? Do I even deserve love?

I quickly shook those thoughts away. It's no use thinking about impossibilities.

Are you awake, Kawasaki-kun? —Airi

On Saturday night, I received a message while I was tinkering with a gadget. I was a bit surprised to see who it was from. Airi usually never messages me, so I found that odd.

Yeah, I'm awake. Did something happen? —Kawasaki

Um, if you aren't too busy, could you come with me to get my camera fixed? —Airi

Oh, that made sense. I would have thought she already had it taken in for repairs. Why hadn't she?

Sure. I'll tell Haruka and Akito. —Kawasaki

Um, I don't want to trouble them... Could you not tell them? —Airi

She doesn't want me to tell them?

Okay, I'll respect your choice. Just remember that they care about you too. —Kawasaki

I understand... —Airi

We could meet in front of my room. If that's okay with you, of course. —Kawasaki

That's okay. —Airi

Alright then. See you tomorrow. Good night, Airi. —Kawasaki

Good night to you too, Kawasaki–kun. —Airi

The next day, around 1 p.m., Airi texted me that she was making her way over, so I quickly put on some casual clothes and stood outside my room, waiting for her.

"Ah, g-good afternoon, Kawasaki-kun."

"Good afternoon, Airi."

She was wearing a blouse with long pink sleeves. I thought it looked good on her.

"So, where to?" I asked as we began walking.

"There's an electronics store in the mall. That's where I originally bought my camera."

"SIVCAMERA?"

"Yeah. Have you been there?"

I nodded.

"I've been there a few times. But it's hard to buy things. You know, with us not having many points and all."

"That's true."

We continued to walk to the mall, eventually arriving at the store. Having already visited multiple times, I already knew where the repair counter was. We navigated through the crowded store before finally reaching the back.

"Oh..."

As we approached the counter, Airi suddenly stopped walking. Looking at her showed that she was afraid and disgusted. I looked around but saw nothing particularly out of the ordinary. Did she perhaps recall an unpleasant memory?

"Are you alright, Airi?"

"Uh, um... I-Well..."

Airi seemed like she wanted to say something but ultimately decided not to. She took a deep breath and shook her head.

"I'm fine. It's nothing, really. But, um... Could you do the talking? Please?"

Despite saying it was nothing, her last sentence and her nervous expression told me the opposite. She was clearly uncomfortable with this situation.

"Okay. Don't worry, leave it to me."

"T-thanks..." she said, letting out a relieved sigh.

I went up to the clerk and began explaining what happened. Airi would occasionally speak up when she needed to clarify something or give permission for something. However, there were various oddities I noticed with the man in front of me. Firstly, he would constantly give quick glances at Airi. Secondly, he seemed very happy to see her here. And thirdly...

"That's a nice camera." I said.

"Huh?"

I went over to the nearby camera on the counter and picked it up, inspecting it.

"Wh-what are you doing?!" The clerk asked frantically.

"Hm? I'm just taking a look at this camera. Am I not allowed?"

"W-well, yes,but—"

"Then I don't see the problem. You should just see what's wrong with the camera."

"B-but—"

"I think I made myself pretty clear."

My sudden seriousness seemed to startle him. He reluctantly went back to see what was wrong with Airi's camera. I quickly took out the camera's memory card.

A terabyte, huh?

I pocketed it and went back to where the clerk was. He seemed a bit agitated. Airi was confused and worried about what just happened.

After the clerk figured out what part was damaged, he asked us if we had a warranty, which Airi handed over. The only thing left to do was for Airi to fill out her contact information. For obvious reasons, I intercepted the pen and began putting my information in. I didn't even have to face him to know that he was glaring at me.

I finished filling everything and handed it to him.

"Is there a problem?" I asked, noticing his stare.

"No... Not at all. It'll take two weeks for it to be repaired."

Upon hearing this, Airi's shoulders slumped, but she also sighed in relief. She was glad that this whole thing was over.

"Do you want to walk a little more? To distract yourself?"

She meekly nodded in response.

We walked around the store, looking at a variety of different electronics. Eventually, we exited the store and went to the food court. I ordered us some food, and we sat down while we waited.

We really need to get those points. Pretty soon, I'll be at zero.

"Um... Thank you for today, Kawasaki-kun. I'm really grateful."

"Don't worry about it. I understand your reluctance to come here."

I had a vague idea of what was going on, but I needed more evidence to truly act.

"Yeah..."

"Plus, we're friends. I will help you no matter what."

Friendship was mostly foreign to me. And that was all the more reason why I should try to preserve it.

"No matter what...?"

"Of course." I said matter of factly.

Airi seemed to think about something before nodding to herself.

"Okay... I'll do it. I'll testify in Sudo-kun's case."

Her sudden resolve surprised me.

"Are you sure? You don't have to force yourself."

"I-I'm sure. I was going to tell you the other day, but...that was when my camera broke."

Ah, that made more sense. I was wondering what she wanted to tell me that day.

"I thought about what you said that day... and I feel like I would regret not saying anything."

"Okay. As long as that's what you want to do, I'll support you."

"Oh, and thank you for the food as well. You didn't have to."

"It's nothing. Consider it a congratulation for stepping out of your comfort zone."

"Ehehe, thanks." She smiled softly.

After we finished eating and went back to the dorms, I immediately took out my phone and started texting someone.

Alright, we have a few options here, Ayanokouji. You decide how you want to go about it.

[Vol 2] Chapter 5: Imminent Judgement

It's amazing what lies people can sustain behind the mask of their real faces. -Philip Roth.

In The Art of War, Sun Tzu says, "Every battle is won before it is ever fought." And he is certainly right. Preparation/Information gathering are key.

Lfklqrvh:2.7 ploolrq srlqwv. Lvklcdnl:Klvwrub ri gholqtxhqfb;jrrg dw iljkwlqj. -Ayanokouji

Case in point.

I put my phone away and looked up to address the people in front of me.

"You're in luck, Sudo. Airi has agreed to testify on your behalf."

"Hell yeah!"

"That's a relief!"

"Let's go!"

Sudo, Kushida, and the others all gave excited responses. The fact that this news came one day before the trial only added to their relief. Horikita, being the person she is, was skeptical of the news.

"What changed? It seems too weird for her not to want to testify, then say the opposite a few days later."

"Come on, Horikita-san! That isn't nice!"

"Whatever. Just leave me out of it," she said, disinterested.

Horikita went back to the book she was reading. The Stranger by Albert Camus. Interesting story, to say the least.

"So how did you do it, Kawasaki-kun?" Kushida turned to me with a curious look.

"Like I told the group the other day, it's been her choice the whole time. She simply decided to come forward now."

Kushida gave me a knowing look.

"Right... How was yesterday's outing, then?" A teasing smile on her face.

Please don't.

"It was okay. We had fun. Look, we should get back on topic."

"Aw, don't be shy, Kawasaki-kun. You can tell me how you really feel!"

"Uh..."

Ayanokouji, please hurry up.

Fortunately, Ayanokouji walked into the classroom just as I was thinking that.

"Ah! Ayanokouji-kun! Have you heard the news?"

Kushida went over to Ayanokouji and began explaining the situation. I let out a sigh of relief.

"How troublesome..."

"An outing, huh? With Kushida-san?" Horikita said.

"What?! You went on a date with Kushida-chan, Kawasaki?!"

I couldn't even get a word out before Ike started yelling.

"Actually—"

"Hey! I thought you said you weren't interested in anyone!" Yamauchi joined in.

"I'm not. I didn't go anywhere with Kushida. I went out with Airi."

"Plain Jane?"

Seriously?

"Hey, if you end up dating her, you've gotta stick to our deal."

"Totally."

They were referring to a deal they put forward, which stated that whoever got a girlfriend first had to buy dinner for everyone. Unfortunately for them, I do not believe I will be getting a girlfriend anytime soon, and I also do not think I will want to foot the bill for their meals.

"Hey! What are we talking about?"

Kushida came back with Ayanokouji. She appeared even more animated than usual; I suppose being excited about saving a classmate was the cause.

"A-ah, nothing, Kushida-chan! We were talking about the case, right guys?" Ike glanced at us.

Your desperation is obvious, Ike.

"Oh, yeah! Have you told sensei yet, Kawasaki-kun?" She said, facing me.

"No. I don't think it's a good idea to make her say it in class. I was planning to tell her after homeroom."

Making Airi speak in front of an audience might stress her out and make her less willing to testify.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good plan. Why don't we all go?" She said while glancing at Horikita.

"Fine. But only because it's about class matters. Nothing else."

"Yay!"

Kushida screamed in delight, much to Horikita's displeasure. I hurried to my seat and started talking to Airi as soon as I realized that homeroom was about to begin.

"Hey Airi, we're going to tell Chabashira-sensei about your decision after homeroom. Is that okay?"

"Yeah... Thank you for asking, Kawasaki-kun."

I wonder how Chabashira-sensei will take the news.

"A witness? For Sudo's case?"

"Yes. Airi here saw the whole event unfold."

After homeroom, we made our way to the faculty room to tell her the news.

Airi, who had been standing behind me, came forward. She wore a nervous yet determined expression.

"According to Kawasaki, you saw the fight between Sudo and the Class C students.

"Yes. I saw it."

Airi began to slowly explain what she had witnessed. Everyone in the room kept quiet and still. The room had a decidedly tense atmosphere.

"Hmm. I understand what you've told me. However, I can't simply accept what you're telling me,"

"H-huh?"

To everyone's surprise, Chabashira-sensei denied her story. Normally, a teacher would be overjoyed to learn that one of their students had located a witness to aid a fellow student. But it seemed that Chabashira-sensei's disdain for us went deeper than I had anticipated.

"Wh-why do you say that, sensei?" A flustered Kushida spoke up.

"Sakura, why are you testifying now? When I reported the issue during homeroom, you didn't step forward. It's not as though you were absent that day, right?"

"Well... That's... I was just nervous about speaking up..."

"You were nervous about speaking up, but now you've decided to come forward? Isn't that strange? What changed?"

Chabashira-sensei began bombarding Airi with questions. It leads me to believe that even if Airi had come forward earlier, she still would have carried out the same action.

"Sensei—"

Kushida's eyes met mine. Seeing my shaking head, she stopped talking. No matter how much we wanted to stand up for Airi right now, it wouldn't do us any good. She had to speak up for herself if she wanted to come out of her shell and aid Sudo. Otherwise, it might seem like we are trying to hide a lie.

"Um... Well, It's because...I want to do it for myself."

"For yourself?"

"I-I...I don't want to sit back...knowing that I can help Sudo-kun and our class. I-I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't testify."

The timid tone of Airi's voice gradually gave way to one that was more confident. She held her ground with a firm face even though her hands were trembling. I could not help but feel a twinge of pride. Like a parent witnessing their child's first steps. Chabashira-sensei's eyes widened slightly as she noticed the big change in her.

"I see... But even if you are the witness you say you are, Sudo may not be declared innocent."

"Wh-why not?"

"I applaud your courage in coming forward. However, I'm still inclined to believe that it may be a lie made up by Class D because the students are afraid of receiving a negative evaluation."

Even more negative than it already is?

"Chabashira-sensei, that's a horrible thing to say!" Airi cried out.

"Horrible? Assuming you really did witness the event, you should have come forward on the first day. It's only natural to feel suspicious when someone steps up just in the nick of time. And considering that the witness happens to be from Class D and happens to have been at an infrequently visited building where they also happened to witness the entire event, it certainly raises a few suspicions."

Well, Chabashira-sensei did make some good points. It was really convenient that Airi had managed to witness the whole fight. From an objective point of view, her testimony would be considered weak. A witness is still a witness, though. It is still important to take into account, no matter how small.

"However, a witness is a witness. I cannot determine if she's lying, so for the time being, I will accept her testimony. So, Sakura, I will ask for you to join us on the day of deliberation. I understand that you do not like to associate with others, but can you do this?"

"U-um..."

Of course, her words had an effect on Airi. She had finally worked up the courage to speak up, but that did not mean that her shy nature had suddenly disappeared. Airi paled when she started imagining the scenario.

"Of course, if you don't like it, you do have the option to withdraw. Also, we'll tell Sudo that he will be participating in the deliberation."

"It's up to you, Airi. I won't force you to do anything."

"Y-yeah..."

Airi's previous confidence has dwindled. Which wasn't too surprising. Having to join Sudo in deliberation on top of having to testify in front of others was overwhelming.

"Do we mind if we participate as well, sensei?"

Kushida spoke up in support of Airi.

"If Sudo himself consents, I will approve it. However, we cannot allow too many people. Only a maximum of two may sit in on the deliberation. Please think on that carefully."

With that, our meeting with Chabashira-sensei ended. Well, more like forcefully ended. We returned to the classroom to further discuss the situation.

"Of course this would happen. It's only natural to be suspicious of Sakura-san." Horikita spoke up as we settled in.

"Well, the situation might be different now, but it's not that huge of a difference, right? I mean, the fact that our witness came from Class D does mean that we're out of luck, though."

As unfortunate as it was, Ayanokouji was right. But in any case, her testimony ought to be somewhat helpful.

"Now then, Kushida-san. It would be best if...Ayanokouji-kun and I sat in on the deliberation." She had been looking at the two of us back and forth before settling on Ayanokouji.

Perfect.

"I understand that you and Kawasaki-kun are supporting Sakura-san. However, if it comes to debate, then that's a different story."

"That's... Yes, you're right. I don't think I'd be particularly useful in a debate. But why not Kawasaki-kun? He's pretty smart."

"That's because—"

"Ah, don't worry about it, Kushida. I'm not actually that good at debates either, so I would rather Ayanokouji go with Horikita."

"R-really? Sorry for assuming then, Kawasaki-kun."

"It's fine." Even if I wasn't, I didn't want to go with Horikita anyway. "Ah, are you fine with this, Airi?"

"I-I... Yeah...I'm fine with this."

When I questioned her, her demeanor grew a little more tense. She was most likely expecting me to accompany her in deliberation. I was her only friend in this situation, after all.

"Ahh! It's been so long since we last ate together!"

"It's only been a few days, Haruka."

"Aw, don't ruin the mood, Miyacchi."

For the first time in days, the Loner Group gathered for lunch. In fact, it was my idea. I thought it would be beneficial for Airi to spend time with us to take her mind off the trial. Kushida had invited me to join them for lunch to discuss trial strategy, but I declined because I had already made plans with the Loner Group.

"So. What's been happening recently? I've noticed you two have hung out more often." Haruka said with a teasing smile on her face.

"T-that's..."

Of course, Airi was flustered by her observation. She started blushing and stuttering.

Geez, I brought her here to lighten her up, and now she's getting teased. Well, I guess it does take her mind off the whole situation. Still...

"We were trying to get her camera fixed. I kind of broke it by accident, so of course I had to help her out."

"Oh. Really?"

"A-ah, y-yeah...Kawasaki-kun's right."

"That makes sense." Haruka nodded to herself. "Ah, I just remembered something. Sudo-kun's trial begins tomorrow, right? Do you think they'll find him innocent?"

And we're back to talking about the case. I internally sighed. Maybe it's just fate? I noticed that Airi stiffened up a bit when she heard her words.

"I don't know... It'll probably take a miracle for that to happen. I really hope that it doesn't negatively affect us." Akito said.

"Well, there's not much we can do right now. We've done all we can do." I said. The class collectively looked for witnesses but couldn't find any until Airi came along, but they didn't know that last part.

"Yeah, you're right. For now, let's focus on our delicious food!" Haruka resumed chowing down on her food. "Don't think I've forgotten about our promise!"

"Don't worry, I'm a man of my word. I'll take you all out for ice cream after the trial."

"Good!"

"Woah, seriously, dude? You don't have to, you know?"

"It's okay. I've realized that this whole mess has kept us from spending as much time together as we would like, and what better way to make up for lost time than to go out for a snack?"

Well, that's what Google says.

"T-That's very nice of you, Kawasaki-kun..." Airi softly spoke, to which I gave a nod.

Lunch went by without any hiccups, casting a brief sense of normalcy before trouble.

"Ow. Why does this have to be difficult?"

The tool in my hand slipped and stabbed my hand. Screwdrivers are no joke.

" Sigh. Why am I even doing this...?" I leaned back in my chair, contemplating my actions.

I knew why I was doing it, but I couldn't help but feel a small sense of frustration building up. I hadn't expected things to go down this route. But no matter, I have to see this through. For my sake.

Just as I was about to start tinkering again, the device in front of me began vibrating. My phone, to be precise. When I picked up the phone, I saw that Airi was calling. We have been interacting a lot more recently.

"What's up, Airi?"

"Ah, good afternoon, Kawasaki-kun. I hope I'm not interrupting anything..."

"No. You're good. Did you need something?"

I doubt that she called simply to chat. I didn't mind, though. She's been going through a lot lately.

"Yeah...Um, can I visit you? Now?"

Well, I certainly didn't expect that.

"Uh, yeah. That's fine. I'll wait for you then."

I started putting the tools in a drawer.

"A-ah...about that..."

"Hm? Is something else the matter?"

"Well...I'm already outside..."

Confused, I went and opened the door. I was surprised to see Airi standing outside, sheepishly.

"Yeah... Sorry for not saying that first." She said as she hung up. There was no need to continue the call if she was already in front of me.

"It's no problem. I'm guessing this must be pretty important, huh?"

"I guess you could say that..."

I let her in. We entered the living room, where we had previously conducted our study sessions. When we sat down, she let her body collapse on the small table.

"Ahhhh. Why am I like this?! I'm useless!" Airi began shaming herself.

Quite frankly, I didn't know what to do in this situation.

"Um...are you okay? You seem much more animated than usual."

The previously timid Airi had vanished, replaced by a much more animated one. Is this a good thing?

"H-huh?!" Airi began blushing and shook her head frantically. "N-no! It's just that...oog..."

It seemed that something was really troubling Airi. Given everything that has happened recently, it is not difficult to figure out what was bothering her.

"Is this because you have to testify tomorrow?"

"It...Yeah...it is. I don't have any self-confidence! If they ask me to testify in front of the teachers, I don't think I'll be able to. I was thinking of taking the day off..."

I can't say I wasn't expecting that.

"What should I do, Kawasaki-kun?"

"Airi, I can tell you what you should and shouldn't do, but ultimately, my opinion shouldn't matter."

"Huh?"

"I shouldn't dictate your actions. I'll say what I told you last time: If you feel like saying something, then do it. If you don't, then don't. Do what you believe you should do in this situation."

Well, that wasn't even concrete advice. But I want her to do things for herself rather than feeling obligated to do them for others.

"I...I think I understand." Her previously nervous expression disappeared. "I-I'll testify tomorrow. I know what I saw and that they're lying."

I gave her a supportive nod.

"If this is what you truly want, I'll fully support you."

"Thank you...for believing in me, I mean." She meekly said.

"That's a given. After all, we're friends."

Her cheeks flushed slightly, and a small smile formed.

"Yeah...we're friends..."

"If it helps, why don't I become your partner?"

If she had someone to practice with today, it might help her nerves tomorrow.

"P-p-partner?!"

Her previous small blush grew into a full-fledged blush. Is it possible for humans to get this red?

"Yeah. I mean, you would have a better time tomorrow if you practiced what you might say to them."

"Ah! Y-yes... That makes more sense..."

Did she misunderstand my words? I thought I was pretty straightforward.

"What did you think I meant?"

"N-no, don't worry about it..."

"If you say so... Anyway, let's get started."

"R-right."

For the next hour or so. Airi rehearsed what she was going to say with me as the audience.

I have faith in you, Airi.

Kushida sent a message to everyone shortly after Airi left my room, instructing us to meet up at Ayanokouji's room, which I doubt he really liked. Everyone was there when I got there, save for Sudo and Horikita. Not surprising at all.

"So. Has there been any progress, Kushida-chan?"

"There has been progress, yes, but I've also noticed something incredible."

Incredible?

"Ayanokouji-kun, can I borrow your computer for a minute?"

"Sure." He responded with a nod.

Booting up the desktop computer, Kushida made her way to the internet browser. She pulled up what looked like a blog. It wasn't some ordinary blog either. It looked professionally made.

"Wait, is that a picture of Shizuku?"

"Shizuku?" Ayanokouji and I both asked.

"Ah, she's a gravure idol. She was just featured in a young men's magazine."

Must be quite well-known then. Is this the incredible thing she was talking about? But after giving the images a closer look...

"Do you recognize her?"

"Is that...Airi?"

"Huh? Who's that?" Ike asked.

Are you being serious?

"Our witness?" I said, trying to jolt their earlier memories.

"Oh! I remember! Uh, Sako?"

"Sakura-san! From our class!" Kushida cried out.

"B-but still! There's no way that's her!" Ike laughed while Yamauchi stiffened.

"Ike... I think Kawasaki is right. When I get a good look at her... It looks a little like Sakura."

"But what about her glasses? She's not wearing them. Plus, her hair is different."

"Those are things that can be easily changed. You know that, right?" I said.

"So you're saying Sakura is Shizuku? There's no way. I mean, sure, there's a slight resemblance, but they're different people. I mean, look how crazy bright and happy Shizuku is. Right? Come on, you think the same thing, right, Ayanokouji?

"No, Kawasaki is definitely right. That's Sakura. Take a look."

Looking over at Ayanokouji, who was getting a closer look at the pictures, he pointed to a specific picture.

"You can barely see it, but the door to her dorm room is in this picture."

"The same door that we have, huh?" I said.

Thinking about it further, this is probably another reason she's so attached to that camera. This may also be the reason why, despite just arriving, she left the special building after our conversation that day.

The pieces are coming together.

"Okay, so Sakura is Shizuku after all... I still don't understand the point."

"Good job finding this, Kushida." Ayanokouji thanked her.

"When I saw Ike-kun reading that weekly magazine at lunch, I remembered something. I had the feeling I'd seen Sakura-san somewhere before,"

"Oh my god, there's a gravure idol in our class! I'm so turned on!" Ike exclaimed enthusiastically.

You didn't have to say that out loud.

"What happened to her being a plain Jane?"

"Duh! Things change! She's hot now!"

With a sigh, I turned back to finish hearing what Kushida was saying.

"But just when Shizuku started to become really popular, she suddenly disappeared."

Ayanokouji and I glanced at each other. An unspoken agreement forming.

"Alright. It's getting late. I should go back to my room." I said, moving toward the door.

"Ah, wait, Kawasaki-kun!"

Surprisingly, Kushida came up to me before I could leave. She began whispering in my ear.

"Are you okay? I mean, with finding out that Sakura-san has this side of her?"

I...didn't expect her to ask me that.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why the question?"

"Ah, you know, your crush on her?"

Of course you're talking about that.

"Don't worry. I'm okay. It doesn't affect me."

Kushida pulled away as she heard my response, giving me a nod.

"Alright then. See you tomorrow, Kawasaki-kun."

"Yeah. See you tomorrow." I said as I exited the room.

Keep believing that lie, Kushida.

When I returned to my room, I used my computer to search for Airi's—Shizuku's—blog. Reading through the previous entries, I was surprised at how much I did not know about her. She started her blog right around the time she became a gravure idol. Even her hopes and aspirations were clearly written there.

Still, making your debut while still in junior high?

I wonder how that must have felt. Over the course of a year, I could see her updating the blog almost every day and responding to almost everyone's comments. Obviously, she stopped responding after being accepted to this school. She took the school's no-outside-contact policy very seriously.

I discovered a link to her Twitter account and discovered that she had over 5000 followers, which I assume is a lot for someone just starting out in that industry. From reading comments and posts, it became obvious to me that her fans were dedicated. Many of them wanted her to return; some asked if she would appear on television; and some made weird comments.

"Do you believe in fate? I do. I believe we will be together forever."

One or two comments like these would be weird but otherwise harmless. As is typical of a fan's delusional fantasy. However, it didn't stop there; it kept going.

"I can always feel you close to me."

"You were even cuter today, huh?"

"Did you notice when our eyes met? I noticed."

These were fairly recent, too. That would mean that it was someone in this school. I didn't even have to think long before the answer came to me.

"The clerk from the repair counter..."

A comment made this past Sunday confirmed my suspicions.

"Look, God is real after all."

At this point, I could piece the story together. Airi purchased her camera at the start of the school year. She obviously disguised herself, just like any other celebrity would, with fake glasses—which I first noticed due to the reflection on the lens—and a different hairstyle, but it appears that the clerk was still able to identify her. No doubt as a result of his constant obsession with her.

When her camera broke, she had to go repair it. She already knew there was a chance she would run into him. That also explains why she wanted me to accompany her and speak on her behalf. That explains why the clerk was irritated when I entered my information rather than hers. He was overjoyed at the prospect of knowing his favorite idol's real name and phone number.

"It's so mean for you to ignore me! Or perhaps you just didn't notice me?"

"What are you doing now? I want to meet you, I want to meet you, I want to meet you!"

"Who was that guy you were with? That can't be your boyfriend! I won't allow that!"

"You belong to me! Only me! Mine, mine, mine!"

You get the idea. The horrible comments kept going and going. Her other fans were obviously disgusted by the comments.

"Dude, what the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Why would you even say that???"

Airi must have been terrified as she read through his comments. She was most likely terrified of leaving her dorm, but she did it anyway. Just to ask for help on the case.

"Hmm..."

I needed to figure out a way to help her. I couldn't exactly report this to the authorities and say that I knew who this guy was. Plus, what crime would I even accuse him of? I needed something more.

"The memory card..."

I remembered taking the memory card from the camera that was sitting on the counter. I had my suspicions about what was inside.

When I inserted the card into my computer, I was greeted with a series of videos. The most recent was on Sunday, when Airi and I visited SIVCAMERA. After clicking on it, I discovered that it was a recording of the entire day. It had been placed in such a way that when a customer, particularly a female customer, approached the repair counter, their chest would be the main focus.

So aside from obsessing over and stalking Airi, he's also a pervert.

The video ended when I noticed the camera and removed the memory card. When I looked at the other videos, they were all the same.

"This isn't enough."

I could notify the authorities, but it would't help much. They would have to conduct an investigation first, which would take time. Furthermore, the clerk could simply claim that he was unaware that the camera was positioned in that manner. The only thing I could see happening if I reported this would be angering him, which wouldn't be good for anyone. It could also buy us some time, but that is not an option. I need something more concrete.

I glanced at my cabinet.

If I finished the gadget, it could be enough to put him away for good. All I need is for a situation to arise...

"In your time of need, I'll be there, Airi."

[Vol 2] Chapter 6: The Untold Truth

Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth. -Buddha

The day had arrived. Sudo would go on trial and attempt to prove his innocence. Our class points, reputation, and Sudo's position on the basketball team were all at stake. A part of me wanted to witness the trial firsthand, but I quickly reminded myself that that would mean being close to Horikita.

It looks like acting offended the other day succeeded.

Regardless, I had my own role to play in this situation.

Upon entering the classroom, I greeted Akito and Haruka as I always do. As I made my way to my seat, I noticed that Airi was seemingly lost in thought. No doubt, it was due to the trial that was to take place that day.

"Will you be okay, Airi?" I asked, sitting down.

"H-huh? Oh, good morning, Kawasaki-kun. Um, yeah, I'll be okay. Practicing with you yesterday helped."

"I'm glad then."

I truly am. Otherwise, who knows how she would be if I hadn't helped? She'd probably be a nervous wreck.

"Remember what I told you before. Do this for your own sake, okay?"

She gave me a quick nod. But before I could say or do anything else, I felt the eyes of someone upon us. Turning around, I saw Ike and Yamauchi looking at us with great curiosity. No, it would be more accurate to say that they were looking at her, not me.

Could you be any less obvious?

Of course, they were staring because they now knew that Airi was an idol. I wondered if Airi could tell that they knew her secret. Looking at her, she had a thin smile on her face. It seems like she already guessed it.

"It's alright... Sorry for not telling you earlier." She looked down. It was almost like she was ashamed of herself.

"Don't be. You just didn't feel comfortable sharing that fact earlier, and that is totally understandable."

I say that, but knowing her idol status now answers quite a few questions I had.

"Thank you. For understanding, I mean."

"Of course."

With that, I sat back in my seat and waited for class to begin.

(Sakura's POV)

The bell rang, signaling the end of the day's classes. I started packing up for Sudo-kun's trial. I stole a glance at the boy next to me as I did so.

"Kawasaki-kun..." I muttered.

I am not sure why he has been on my mind lately, but... I know this feeling is good.

"Alright, Airi. It's about time for the trial to begin. I'm sorry I won't be able to accompany you, but I promise I'll be there when it's finished, okay?"

"Y-yeah, that would be great."

Even now, he's being so kind.

"Thank you...for believing in me, I mean."

"That's a given. After all, we're friends."

"Yeah...we're friends..."

Yesterday's conversation was still fresh in my mind. Remembering it gave me renewed confidence.

Alright! Let's do–

"Sakura?"

"Eep!"

Ahh! I was so caught up in my thoughts that I hadn't noticed Ayanokouji-kun standing in front of my desk!

"We should get going. The discussion is about to start." He continued.

"Y-yes, you're right."

I gave Kawasaki-kun one last wave before leaving with Ayanokouji-kun and the others. When we arrived at the facility room, a teacher was there waving at us, beckoning us to come inside.

"Yahoo! Hello, Class D students!"

She was acting very energetically. I wonder what class' teacher she is.

"It seems like something rather incredible has happened, hmm?" She then cupped her eyes, mimicking a binocular, and began to look around. "Oh? But where's Kawasaki-kun?"

Kawasaki-kun? They've met before?

Before any of us could answer that question, Chabashira-sensei had exited the faculty room and started glaring at the energetic teacher.

"What are you doing this time?"

"Oh no. I've been found out already, huh?"

Chabashira-sensei shook her head disapprovingly. "Of course. Whenever you sneak out, that's when I start to feel suspicious."

"So I guess I can't join in, huh?"

"Obviously not. You fully know that outsiders can't participate."

"Aw, that's too bad. Well, that's all right. The results should be out within the hour, I guess."

"Just get back inside." Chabashira-sensei said as she pushed the teacher back inside the faculty room. "Well then, shall we be going?"

"We're not going to do this in the faculty room, are we?" Horikita-san asked.

"Of course not. This school does have rather complicated rules, but in cases such as these, a settlement is reached between the homeroom teacher of the class in question, the concerned parties, and the student council."

For some reason, Horikita-san froze when our sensei mentioned the student council. Chabashira-sensei turned to glance at Horikita-san's face.

"If you want to stop, now's the time, Horikita."

Sudo-kun and I had no clue what was going on. Ayanokouji-kun, on the other hand, displayed no emotion. Despite this, I had the impression he understood what was going on.

"I'll go. I'm fine." She responded.

Horikita-san shot Ayanokouji-kun a quick glance. Her expression was one of reassurance. Could it be that they're dating? Why else would she give him that look? Ah, he seemed to know the reason why she froze up earlier, so I suppose that makes sense.

We left the first floor and made our way to the fourth floor. When we got there, there was a door with a sign that said "Student Council Room" right next to it. Chabashira-sensei turned around to look at us, or, to be more specific, at me.

"Sakura, you stay here. We'll call you when you're needed."

"Ah, okay."

I internally exhaled a sigh of relief. Despite my newfound confidence, I was still nervous about speaking in public, especially in such a tense environment.

Chabashira-sensei knocked on the door before entering, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

(Ayanokouji's POV)

The long tables arranged in a rectangular formation were the first thing I noticed when we entered the student council room. On the left side, the three Class C students were seated. A bespectacled male teacher in his 30s sat next to them.

"Sorry we're late," Chabashira-sensei said.

"It's before the scheduled start time. There's no need for apologies."

"Have you already met?"

Sudo, Horikita, and I did not know the teacher.

"This is Sakagami-sensei, the homeroom teacher for Class C. Now then."

One lone male student seated in the back of the room attracted everyone's attention.

"This is the student council president."

Horikita's elder brother, whom I had met with Kawasaki about a month before, was sifting through documents on his desk. Horikita, who had been ignored by her brother, gave him one last look before lowering her gaze and taking a seat in front of the Class C students.

He surveyed the room; his eyes scanned the area for a specific individual. It was clear that he was looking for Kawasaki. He closed his eyes and spoke calmly.

"Well then, I would now like to discuss the violent incident that occurred last Tuesday with the members of the student council, the involved parties, and their homeroom teachers. You may begin the proceedings, student council secretary Tachibana."

Secretary Tachibana, a woman with short lilac hair, gave a slight bow.

"Of course, considering the magnitude of this dispute, there are times when the student council president will take over. There are several unusual things about this incident. Other than that, the bulk of the proceedings will be handled solely by Tachibana, as usual."

"Because I am quite busy, there are certain agenda topics upon which I will defer. As a general rule, though, I would prefer to attend to these issues, as I'm entrusted to lead this student council."

"So, this is all by chance?" Chabashira-sensei smiled as she said that, but Horikita's older brother didn't waver. Horikita, the younger sister, was trembling, however. It was clear from our last encounter that they have a rather peculiar relationship. One in which she was particularly submissive. In any case, I couldn't help but think that we were in an extremely disadvantageous situation.

If the student council president acted, there'd be nothing we could do, even if we didn't like it. He'd been placed in Class A and immediately took office as secretary for the student council. In December of that same year, he became the student council president after receiving an overwhelming amount of support during the election. The fact that he's still president in his senior year speaks volumes to his abilities.

Secretary Tachibana summarized the situation from both sides in an easy-to-understand manner, leaving no need for further explanation.

"Based on the aforementioned facts, we would like for you to identify which version of events is true." After completing her explanation and the preface to the proceedings, Secretary Tachibana turned her eyes toward us in Class D. "Komiya-kun and two other members of the basketball club went to the special building after Sudo-kun called them there. There, they claim to have been beaten in a one-sided brawl. Is this true?"

"What those guys said was a lie. I was the one that got called over to the special building," Sudo spoke up. "That day, after practice, Jomiya and Kondo asked to go to the special building. Honestly, I thought it was kind of annoying, but I also thought it might've been because they were always hostile towards me. So, I went to meet them."

Sudo did not mince words. Horikita would typically have been repulsed by his bluntness and chastised him. She did not hear him at all, though, as evidenced by her still-trembling body. Sakagami-sensei stared at her in wide-eyed amazement, a small grin forming on his face.

"That's a lie. Sudo-kun called us over to the special building."

"Don't screw with me, Komiya! You were the one who called me, you jerk!"

"You don't seem to remember your position here."

Irritated, Sudo impulsively struck the desk. Immediate silence followed.

"Please calm down, Sudo-kun. Right now, we're merely listening to what both parties have to say. Komiya-kun, we ask that you too please show some restraint and not interrupt."

"Puh, fine..."

"Both parties insist that the other called them over, so the accounts conflict. However, the stories share some commonality. There was a dispute between Sudo-kun, Komiya-kun, and Kondo-kun, correct?"

"I wouldn't call it a dispute. Sudo-kun's always picking fights with us."

"'Picking fights'?"

"Sudo's better at basketball than we are, so he's always bragging about it. We practice with everything we've got, but it doesn't exactly feel good when he makes fools out of us. So we often butt heads."

I didn't exactly know the details about Sudo's club activities, but the veins popping on his forehead told me they were obviously lying. Next, Secretary Tachibana faced and spoke to Sudo.

"Not one bit of what Komiya said was true. Those guys are just jealous of my talent. When I practice, they constantly get in my way. That's the truth."

Naturally, both sides claimed that the other party was at fault.

"Both sides have given their grievances, but now we have to come to a judgment with the collected evidence."

"Sudo-kun beat us senseless. It was a one-sided fight."

Class C seemed more intent on focusing the discussion on their injuries than on who started the fight. Well, the three students did have black-and-blue faces. That part was undeniable.

"That's a lie. They attacked first. It was self-defense."

"Hey, Horikita," I whispered to a still mute, and motionless Horikita. It was clear that the situation was getting worse by the second. If we wanted to stop Sudo from getting carried away, we had to take action sooner rather than later, but Horikita was still frozen, her mind gone somewhere else entirely.

Why did I agree to not let him take my place?

"If Class D has no further proof to offer, would you mind if we continued the proceedings?"

If no one else intervened, then their judgment would almost certainly be merciless. In order to prevent that, we needed Horikita to rouse herself into action. However, Horikita, our team's most crucial member, withered and shrank before her older brother.

"It would seem there's no objection, given the arguments we've heard thus far." Finally, the student council president spoke. He seemed like he wanted to draw a conclusion as soon as possible.

"Regardless of which party called the other over, the fact remains that it was a one-sided fight between Sudo and the other students. We can clearly see that from the injuries they sustained. We have no choice but to come up with a conclusion based on that."

"W-wait! I can't just accept that! It's just because those guys were a bunch of wimps!"

The moment Sudo uttered those words, Sakagami-sensei's previous grin grew.

"Then can it really be considered self-defense when fighting against opponents of such unequal strength?"

"B-but, hey. I was fighting against three people! Three people!"

"But only the Class C students were hurt."

This was getting worse. I internally sighed as I resigned myself to my future actions, knowing that they had a probability of me getting killed later.

Is this why he insisted that I go with her? Did he know this would happen?

I honestly should have seen this coming.

I got up slowly from my folding chair and stood behind Horikita. I stretched my arms and grasped her sides as hard as I could.

"Hyah?!" Horikita cried in a never before seen girlish voice. However, this wasn't the time or place for me to focus on that. Since she hadn't fully returned to her sanity yet, I grabbed her more forcefully and tickled her.

"W-wait! S-stop, stop!"

No matter how upset or dazed a person is, if you stimulate the body enough, they will eventually come back to their senses. Even if the person themselves didn't like it. The teachers seemed surprised by my actions, but I didn't care at the time. I had a job to do. Once I believed I had roused her enough, I let go. Horikita, looking like she was about to cry, glared at me intensely. I couldn't say that I didn't deserve it, but I had to force her. It was essential for Horikita to return to her usual self.

"Get a grip on yourself, Horikita. We're going to lose at this rate. You have to fight!"

"Tch..."

Horikita's eyes darted between Class C, their teacher, and her brother, as if she had finally grasped the gravity of the situation.

"Excuse me. May I ask a question?" she said.

"Do you mind, president?"

"I'll allow it. However, please answer more quickly next time."

Horikita slowly rose out of her chair as she spoke.

"Earlier, you said that Sudo-kun called you over to the special building. But who exactly did Sudo-kun call, and why?"

Komiya and the other Class C students looked at one another, as if saying, Why is she asking that question now?

"Please answer." Horikita added, increasing pressure onto them.

"Kondo and I don't know why he called us over. When we'd just finished up for the day and were changing, he said he wanted to talk to us for a minute. Wasn't the reason just that he didn't like us?"

"So then, why exactly were you in the special building, Ishizaki-kun? You're not on the basketball team, so you have no connection to this case. I'd think your presence there would be rather odd."

"That's... I came as a precaution. There were rumors that Sudo was violent. He's also in better physical shape than we are. I had to go, didn't I?"

"So, in other words, you felt the situation might turn violent?"

"Yeah." They all answered in unison. It was clear that the Class C students had rehearsed this to some degree.

" I see. So you brought along Ishizaki-kun as your bodyguard since he reputed to be rather good at fighting. Just in case there was an emergency."

"It was to protect ourselves. That was it. Besides, we didn't know that Ishizaki-kun was known for being good in a fight. We just considered him a reliable friend."

Several arguments could be made based on the accounts of the students. Horikita, who had been quietly listening to their responses, appeared to be running various simulations in her head. She immediately made her next move.

"I do have some knowledge of martial arts, if only to a certain extent. I understand that when you're fighting against multiple enemies, victory becomes exponentially more difficult. So I don't understand how you were defeated so handily, how the fight could be so one-sided, when you had a skilled fighter like Ishizaki-kun with you."

"Because we didn't intend to fight,"
"The primary factor in triggering a fight is the collision of the 'energy' between opponents. In the event that you don't have any intention of fighting, or that you're nonviolent, the probability that you'll be hurt should be very low. Especially when there are three of you."

Horikita's words were objective and logical, based on evidence, rules, and her own reasoning. Komiya, on the other hand, countered with his own weapon: real evidence.

"That way of thinking doesn't apply to Sudo-kun. He's exceptionally violent. Even if we were nonviolent, he'd still be mercilessly violent. That's what happened."

He peeled off the gauze that covered his cheek, exposing the scrapes underneath. It didn't matter how many reasonable arguments Horikita made; his injury held more power than simple words.

"Are you finished with your claims now, Class D?" said the student council president. His words were few and icy. His look seemed to suggest that if that was all we had to say, it would've been better not to say anything at all.

"It's true that Sudo injured the other students. However, Class C started the fight. There is one student witness who saw the entire incident and can attest to this."

"Well then, Class D—if Class D's witness would please enter?"

Sakura, who looked anxious, walked into the student council room. She kept her head high, but her eyes darted around, never seeming to settle on one person or thing.

"1-D, Sakura Airi-san."

"I thought I'd heard something or other about a witness, but you're a Class D student?"

Sakagami-sensei snickered while wiping his glasses.

"Is there a problem, Sakagami-sensei?"

"No, no, please. Go ahead."

Sakagami-sensei and Chabashira-sensei exchanged looks.

"You begin your testimony, if you wouldn't mind, Sakura-san."

"Y-yes, okay..."

She stopped speaking, and a brief period of silence ensued. She had closed her eyes and appeared to be mouthing the words "deep breaths" to herself.

"I-I... I definitely saw what happened!"

Unexpectedly, Sakura's voice reached a volume I never thought I would hear.

"I was there... I was looking for a place where no one was around. I just wanted to take some pictures of myself."

Sakagami-sensei's smile fell as she spoke. He hadn't expected the possibility of there being evidence that could prove them wrong, much less that the seemingly meek Class D witness could actually talk somewhat confidently.

"Excuse me, but may I ask something?" asked Sakagami-sensei, raising his hand.

"...I'll allow it." Horikita's older brother said after briefly contemplating it.

"I don't necessarily doubt you, Sakura-kun. However, I do have a question I hope you can answer. You've stepped forward to testify as a witness, but you were rather late in doing so. May I ask why? If you really had seen something, wouldn't you have come forward much earlier?"

Sakagami-sensei brought out the same question Chabashira-sensei had asked earlier.

"Well... It's because I was scared."

"Scared, huh? Why is that? Was it because they were forcing you to testify?"

"N-no! I'm not very good at talking with other people; that's why."

"I see. I can understand that. However, if you're not good at talking with others, then why step forward when the week was nearly out? Doesn't that seem suspicious? In my mind, it seems that Class D secretly put a story together and is having you act as a false witness and give a phony testimony. That would explain why you're truly scared: you're afraid of getting caught lying."

Sakagami-sensei ruthlessly undermined her story. Even the Class C students voiced their agreement with him. Of course, Horikita couldn't stand for this, so she raised her hand. However, to our surprise, Sakura stood her ground.

"That just isn't true! I was there! I saw everything! If it's proof you want, I'll give it to you!"

Sakagami-sensei froze at Sakura's words. He didn't expect her to be so passionate about telling her side of the story.

"Please, let's not force this situation to continue. If there really was evidence, you would have presented it at an earlier stage—"

Sakura slammed her hand on the table loudly, what seemed to be pictures scattering across the table as she did.

"What are those?" Sakagami-sensei said stiffly.

"Proof that I was there in the special building that day! Proof that I'm not lying!"

Secretary Tachibana walked over, collected the scattered photos, and handed them to Horikita's older brother.

"President."

After looking at the pictures for some time, he laid them out on the table so that everyone could see them. Sakura was in those pictures, but it wasn't the one right in front of us; it was the idol, Shizuku, wearing a lovely expression.

"Like I said earlier... I was looking for places where no one was around. The pictures here show the time and date, proving that I'm not lying."

She was correct. The date on the pictures definitely showed that they'd been taken in the evening one week ago, which would have been just around the time Sudo and the others finished their club activities. Horikita and I unintentionally gasped in response to this evidence. It was at this that we began to see changes within the three Class C students. They had started to visibly shake.

"What did you use to take these photos?" asked Sakagami-sensei, trying to remain calm.

"A digital camera."

"You can alter the date rather easily with a digital camera, though. And if you used a computer, you could have effectively set the time and date when the incident took place. This cannot be considered adequate enough."

"But Sakagami-sensei, don't you think this photo is different?" Horikita's older brother pointed at one of the photos; he picked it up and handed it to the teacher.

"Th-this?!"

The photo showed irrefutable evidence: the fight itself. The picture showed the setting sun bathing the hallway and also showed what happened immediately after Sudo hit Ishizaki.

"You have to believe me after I show you this."

"Thank you, Sakura-san."

Aside from proving that Sakura had indeed witnessed the fight, it also saved Horikita as well. She had run out of arguments that could have helped our case.

"I see. Well, you do seem to be telling the truth about witnessing the incident. That much I simply must accept. However, I can't ascertain how the situation started from this picture. This doesn't prove that you saw the entire incident."

"B-but..."

Sakura stopped talking and bit her bottom lip. She realized that he was right. She had no way to prove that she had seen the entire fight.

"So, what do you think, Chabashira-sensei? Why not look for a compromise here?" Sakagami-sensei suggested.

"Compromise?"

"I'm convinced that Sudo-kun lied in his testimony."

"You jerk!" Sudo stood up, seemingly ready to fight again, but managed to grab hold of his own arms and pin himself down.

"No matter how long we go back and forth, we'll never reach an agreement. We won't change our testimony, and your side won't give up or admit that you conspired with the witness. In other words, you won't stop. It'll be an endless cycle of saying that the other side is lying. In addition, the picture is too inconclusive to be considered definitive proof. Therefore, I suggest we compromise. I do think that the students from Class C are responsible for some of the blame here. There were three students up against about two weeks of suspension for Sudo-kun, one week of suspension for my students? What do you think of that? The weight of the punishment is different, of course, but I think that matches the difference in sustained injuries."

It seemed that Class C was only willing to compromise halfway. If we hadn't had Sakura's testimony or evidence, Sudo would have most definitely been suspended for over a month. In suggesting giving him less than half of that, they are making themselves seem like they're capable of reasoning.

"Don't screw around! This isn't a joke!" Sudo raged.

"Chabashira-sensei. What do you think?" Sakagami-sensei paid no mind to Sudo.

"We seem to have already reached a logical conclusion. There's no reason to refuse Sakagami-sensei's proposal."

His proposal was certainly a reasonable compromise. Horikita looked up at the ceiling, as if quietly pondering everything that had transpired. Without conclusive evidence, Sudo would not be completely exonerated, no matter how much we resisted. Horikita had known this from the start.

She had concluded that we needed to reach a compromise. For a Class D student, Horikita was quite impressive.

However, if she was aiming to make it to Class A, she couldn't give up here. I hadn't intended to speak out until the very end, but I decided to lend a helping hand. It would speed things up, after all.

"Horikita, are we really out of options?" I asked.

"..."

She didn't respond. Did she even have any words left? Guess I have to do it myself then...

"I'm not very smart, so I can't really come up with a solution. I do, however, think that we probably should accept the compromise that you have offered us, Sakagami-sensei," I said.

"Right," He replied with a smile, pushing his glasses back up.

"We have no definitive proof of Sudo's innocence. I suppose I should say such evidence just doesn't exist. If this event had occurred in a classroom or the convenience store, a greater number of students would have been around to see it, and there probably would have been sound evidence. There's no record of anyone watching this scene unfold. Since this event took place in the special building, where there aren't many people around, there's nothing we can do."

I sighed deeply and shook my head, with a defeated tone in my voice. I looked straight into Horikita's eyes, and she gazed back at me.

"I understand why we're having this discussion. No matter how much we appeal to the contrary, Class C won't admit that they lied. Sudo won't admit that he lied, either. We really would just keep going back and forth. And honestly, it's getting to the point where I would've been happier never having had this discussion in the first place. Don't you agree?"

Horikita cast her eyes down as I spoke. I wondered what she was thinking. It was up to her to interpret my words.

"So that's it, yes? Well, Class D representative Horikita-san. Please give your opinion on the matter." As expected, Sakagami-sensei took my words literally: a declaration of defeat. Victory for Class C would mean not allowing Sudo to be acquitted. His expression told us that he had won.

"I understand..." Horikita answered, picking up her gaze.

"Horikita! You can't!" Sudo cried. It was the roar of a man who wanted nothing more than to prove himself right. One that didn't want to admit defeat. However, Horikita didn't stop there. She continued with her closing remarks.

"I think that Sudo, who caused the incident, had a problem. He doesn't ever stop to consider his actions, which inconveniences everyone around him. He has a history of getting into fights. He's the type to raise his voice and fists right away whenever something displeases him. In the event of an uproar such as this, well, it should be obvious who caused it."

"H-hey!"

"You need to understand. Sudo. Your attitude caused all of this." Horikita glared intensely at Sudo, almost as if she were trying to outdo Sudo's ferocity. "This is why I wasn't motivated at all to help Sudo-kun in the beginning. I knew that even if I forced myself to lend a hand, he would just repeat the same mistakes again and again."

"A very honest answer. This matter seems settled now, wouldn't you say?"

"Thank you very much. Please take your seat now," Secretary Tachibana said to Horikita.

Silence followed. After which, Sudo's irritated bellow was heard. Interestingly enough, however, Horikita still hadn't sat down.

"Will you take your seat now?" Secretary Tachibana asked her again, presumably under the assumption that Horikita hadn't heard her. Yet Horikita still didn't sit. She instead continued staring at the teachers. Her gaze fixated on them.

"He should reflect on his actions. However, not in this particular case. When I say he should reflect, I mean he should look back on his past actions. In regards to the incident itself, however, I don't think Sudo-kun did anything wrong. This was an unfortunate event that occurred by chance. I'm convinced that this was a deliberate move made by Class C. I have absolutely no intention of meekly accepting defeat."

Horikita broke the long silence with those haughty words.

"So then...what do you mean?" For the first time, Horikita's older brother looked at her. She didn't shrink under his gaze. She probably thought that now wasn't the time to be frightened. Or could it be that she has finally seen the path to a final resolution?

"If you did not understand, I will say it again. We claim that Sudo-kun is completely innocent. Therefore, we cannot accept his suspension from school, even for just one day."

"Ha ha... What can I say? We did this intentionally? What an absolutely bizarre claim. Apparently, the student council president's younger sister can't help but spew nonsense."

"Sudo-kun is the victim, just as the witness has testified. Please do not make any errors in your judgment."

Sakura nodded rapidly while the Class C students began to shout insistently.

"Don't screw around! I'm the victim here!" Sudo, compelled by the shouting, raised his voice again to counter their claims. It was obvious to everyone here that we would not be able to find a solution this way.

"That's enough. Continuing this discussion would just be a waste of time." Horikita's older brother spoke up. He looked at us as if we were just swapping lies in a giant mudslinging match.

"What I've learned here today is that each side has an exact opposite claim. In that case, one side is propagating an extremely malicious falsehood."

That was the question. Which class was lying to the school? If this fact becomes known, the consequences will be greater than suspension.

"I'll ask you, Class C. Have you lied to us today?"

"Of...Of course not!"
"Well, what about you, Class D?"

"I haven't lied. Everything we've said has been the truth."

"That settles it, then. We will regroup here for a retrial tomorrow at 4:00 PM. If by then it hasn't been clearly established which party has lied, or in the event that no one admits that they were at fault, we will pass judgment based on the evidence we've collected thus far. Of course, in that case, we may have to consider the possibility of expulsion from this school. That is all."

Horikita's older brother ended the proceedings after giving that statement. With the retrial starting at 4:00 PM tomorrow, we had a very small window of time to uncover any kind of new evidence.

"Would it be possible to have a little more time before we reconvene?" Horikita asked as she raised her hand. She hadn't protested the decision, but rather, she had made an offer.

"If this matter required some extra time before retrial, then the student council president would have offered a sufficient grace period. In other words, the amount of time granted should be enough for this case. Extensions are only offered under special circumstances," answered Chabashira-sensei, folding her arms.

Everyone was dissatisfied with the situation as we were told to leave the student council office. However, before we did, Sakagami-sensei approached Sakura, who now seemed more subdued.

"I want you to reflect on the fact that many students will be involved in this due to your lies. You may have been confident today, but you can't keep up that facade. Sooner or later, the truth will come out. You should be nothing more than ashamed of yourself."

Sakagami-sensei spoke coolly. He and his students left, repeatedly complaining that the lies were too much. It's like they wanted to twist the knife into Sakura.

Sakura had her gaze lowered, her expression unreadable.

"Excuse me..."

She promptly left the student council room, leaving Sudo, Horikita, and me in a silent room.

I was looking out the window when I heard the door to the student council room open. I was expecting Airi to come out, but to my surprise, it was the three Class C students and their homeroom teacher. Since I was so close to the door, they immediately took notice of me.

"Hm? And who might you be?" The bespectacled man, their homeroom teacher, spoke to me.

At first glance, he certainly exuded seriousness. He seemed to be the type of person to reprimand you for the smallest of mistakes. I hadn't expected to meet them here, but I saw no reason why I shouldn't introduce myself.

"Kawasaki Rei from Class 1-D."

As soon as the words left my mouth, his neutral face turned into one of disdain. Whoops.

"Class D, huh? Well, let me tell you something, then. You and your class should be ashamed of yourselves. It's absolutely cowardly that you would involve innocent students in your schemes."

The three students nodded in agreement and walked off. Judging by his harsh words, it doesn't look like they won, but I don't think we did either.

"Kawasaki-kun...?"

A teary-eyed Airi came out of the student council room and immediately ran toward me, clinging to my blazer as she broke into tears. This day is just full of surprises.

I'd never had someone cry in front of me like this. I didn't know whether to comfort her or just let her cry. Lend me your knowledge, Hirata!

"I-I tried my best... I-I r-really did... But I couldn't take it when he said that to me."

Apparently, Class C's homeroom teacher had some harsh words for her too.

"I should have spoken up earlier... None of this would have happened if I had done so..."

The illusion of control is often created when people overestimate their control over situations they're in. And when they're faced with a negative outcome, they resort to self-blame, believing they could have handled the situation better. Couple this with her low self-esteem, and we end up with Airi believing she is at fault when, in reality, she has been nothing but helpful.

"Airi, look at me." I gently lifted her chin and wiped her tears with my finger. "No matter what you would have done, the end result would have been the same. I wasn't there to watch your testimony, but I already know you did your best."

"B-but!"

"In fact, I'm proud of you. You went up there and spoke your truth."

A single tear rolled down her cheek as she weakly nodded. She lowered her gaze and started crying again, albeit with less intensity than before.

About a minute later, the door to the student council room opened once again, this time revealing Ayanokouji, Horikita, and Sudo. Horikita and Sudo continued walking away, while Ayanokouji stayed behind, most likely to inform me about the results

As Airi's cries died down, the door to the student council room once again opened. Horikita Manabu, the student council president, and an iliac-haired girl came out. He took notice of Ayanokouji first.

"Ah, you're still here? What are you—"

He seemed to finally notice my presence here. His eyes narrowed slightly when he did.

"I was starting to think that you weren't involved in this case."

"What do you mean? I'm not."

"I was under the assumption that you two had some sort of master plan you'd unveil today," he said, addressing the both of us.

"Sorry to disappoint, but we don't have any such plans. Your sister asked me to tag along with her, and Kawasaki is just here for Sakura."

"So you're telling me that when Suzune claimed Sudo was completely innocent, she was merely getting carried away?"

"Hyperbole? No, I don't think so."

"I see then."

Horikita's brother was under the misconception that we were some sort of genius. I wonder what gave him that idea.

"And then there's what you said, Sakura." Horikita's brother turned to Airi, who had now stopped crying, and me. "Eyewitness testimony and pictorial evidence certainly carry weight during deliberation. However, please keep in mind that how much we value the evidence is determined by how much we trust in its believability. No matter what you do, the evidence's legitimacy is reduced because you are a student from Class D. No matter how detailed your account is, we cannot accept it as one hundred percent true."

"B-but it was the truth! I didn't lie at all!"

"You still have some of that confidence, I see. I'll admit, that does add some credibility to your testimony. However, if you can't prove it, it's nothing more than simple nonsense."

Airi seemed like she wanted to counter his words, but she didn't. She closed her mouth and hung her head low in frustration, realizing that he had a point.

"I believe her as well." Ayanokouji's words rang out.

"Well, of course you do. After all, you're her classmate. It's only natural that you'd want to believe her."

"Wanting and actually doing it are two completely different things. I said I believed her."

"I'm guessing that applies to you too?" He directed the question at me.

"Of course. Ayanokouji said it best. It isn't just because I'm her friend or a fellow classmate that I believe her."

"But can you prove it? Proves that she isn't lying?"

"That's not up to me or Ayanokouji. That's your sister's job. Not ours."

Horikita's brother chuckled softly, then smiled.

"Well then, I'll be looking forward to it."

With that, Horikita's brother and the iliac-haired girl left.

"Thank you, Ayanokouji-kun. It feels nice...for someone else to believe me, I mean."

The three of us were walking side by side as we started making our way out of the school. Airi had long since stopped crying and had instead started smiling sheepishly.

"I think... I really do think that practicing yesterday helped a lot."

"Practice?" Ayanokouji asked. He wasn't aware that I had done this.

"Well...yeah. Kawasaki-kun, let me use him to practice what to say. Oh, and he gave me some tips to calm down."

I nodded. The main advice I gave her was to take deep breaths. It's a classic yet effective way to calm yourself down in stressful situations. It has helped me a ton in the past.

"That makes sense," he said.

The three of us fell into a comfortable silence. We did nothing but enjoy the window-bound afternoon light.

"..."

After a while, however, I noticed that Airi was frequently looking at me. Did she want to tell me something? If she was, why wasn't she saying anything? Is she perhaps not comfortable talking about it with Ayanokouji here?

As we neared the entranceway, I decided to speak up.

"Hey—"

"Yahoo! We're over here! You guys are really late, huh?"

Ichinose, who was full of energy, interrupted me. I made the decision not to press the question any further. I'm sure she would tell me later anyway.

"Ichinose. Kanzaki." I said as I raised my hand slightly to greet them.

"Were you waiting for us?" said Ayanokouji.

Before any of them could respond, though, Airi spoke up.

"Um, thank you once again, Ayanokouji-kun, Kawasaki-kun. I'll... I'll see you tomorrow."

She hurriedly left, leaving us a little surprised.

"Was this maybe a bad time?" Ichinose asked, breaking the silence.

"No, it's okay."

"If you say so..."

Ayanokouji then went on to explain what happened during the deliberation.

"I see. So, you rejected the compromise, huh? Class D is insisting on Sudo's innocence until the very end?"

"Well, if Sudo even got as little as one day's suspension, Class C would win."

While the underlying motivation for Class C's attack on Sudo was unknown, it was clear that any form of punishment toward us would undoubtedly give them the victory. That's just an unacceptable outcome. Although Kanzaki appeared to believe that we had made the wrong decision by refusing to accept the compromise.

"The fact remains that he hit the other students. Your opponents made a concession because of the corroboration from the witness and her evidence. You should've accepted the compromise."

"But we can't accept that, no matter what. Considering the fact that suspension is on the table as punishment, Sudo may very well lose any chance he has of becoming a regular on the basketball team. Not to mention the fact that if we had accepted the compromise, it would have told them that they could do it again and get away with it."

"Hmm..."

"I completely agree with you, Kawasaki-kun! Those were my exact thoughts!"

Even so, if we went back to trial, there was no way we could get the desired result. We could not win without definitive proof..

"I understand. So, are you still going to fight? Even without new evidence or testimony?"

"That's what our leader decided. We'll just have to fight to the bitter end," he said.

If Horikita had come to that conclusion, she would need to have a strategy in place.

"Well, we can't forgive liars, so we'll continue helping. Although I don't think we'll be able to find any new leads."

Ichinose, ever the benevolent person, continued to offer us their support. Quite frankly, her behavior puzzled me. But I digress—that's neither here nor there.

"You'd still help us?" Ayanokouji asked.

Kanzaki nodded, proving that they—or maybe even Class B as a whole—are nice people.

"I sincerely appreciate the offer, but it's not necessary."

Unexpectedly, Horikita appeared and stood next to us. Was she waiting for the right moment to jump in or...?

"Huh? Not necessary? What do you mean by that, Horikita-san?"

"We can't get Sudo acquitted. It's impossible to do so, even if we had a new witness come forward. However...there is something I would like you to prepare for us. It's the only possible solution."

"Prepare something?"

"That's—"

As Horikita began to explain her plan, Ichinose's face stiffened, and I couldn't blame her. Horikita's plan was basically a giant gamble.

"Oh... That's going to be a really hard request."

"I understand that I'm in no position to ask this," Horikita continued. "The burden I'd be placing upon you would be exceptionally great. But—"

"Ah, don't get me wrong. This should be within the range of what we can do, but...I just have a lot of questions. But I guess it would be better for you if we didn't ask why?"

"Certainly. So then, if I can convince you, will you cooperate with us?"

Horikita further explained the plan to everyone. Ichinose and Kanzaki stood silently, contemplating her words after she finished speaking.

"Having told you this, you should now know the risks and usefulness of this strategy."

"When did you come up with this?"

"Just before deliberation ended. It was only by chance, though."

"That's...just incredible. I visited the crime scene, but even I failed to consider that. I couldn't have been that close to coming up with an idea like that."

Despite knowing what needed to be done to ensure the plan's success, Ichinose appeared hesitant.

"It's an unusual idea. And you can probably anticipate the results too. But does such a thing even exist in the first place?" Ichinose asked a shocked Kanzaki.

"It might be contrary to your ethics and morals, Ichinose."

"Ha ha, yeah. You're probably right. It would definitely be a change for me. But...it certainly is one way of solving things."

"That's what I thought as well. It's something that should never be done."

Ichinose, who hates lying, would obviously have some reservations about a plan that involves lying.

"A lie is what started all this trouble in the first place. It's possible that it will take another lie to close this case. Well, that's what I think, anyway."

"Right... An eye for an eye, a lie for a lie, yeah? But is it possible? I can't imagine you would be able to obtain such a thing easily."

"I've already confirmed that part, so don't worry about that."

"If we ask the Professor to assist us, we should be good. I'll talk to him."

With a slight nod toward Ayanokouji, the pieces were starting to fall into place.

"Hey, Kanzaki-kun. Did you help us so that we could outpace Class C?"

"Yeah. That's right."

"I was just thinking that perhaps what we're doing right now might end up biting you in the ass later."

"That's a possibility."

"Man. I completely neglected to calculate the fact that Class D has a girl like you." After complimenting Horikita, Ichinose took out her cell phone and held it out. "I'll lend this to you. Please return it later."

"I promise." Horikita accepted the cell phone with no hesitation. "Well then, Ayanokouji-kun and...Kawasaki-kun. There's something I need from the two of you."

"If it's not something really bothersome, sure. I'll help."Ayanokouji said.

"I'll help too. Sorry for my outburst the other day; it was unwarranted."

Horikita looked at me with a confused expression for a second before she seemed to realize what I was talking about.

"Oh, that. It's whatever. I accept your apology. But someone else here still hasn't apologized..."

"Huh? Why are you giving me that lo—?!"

Horikita had struck a blow to Ayanokouji's side. Yes, this was the only reason I got "mad" the other day. Just so I wouldn't have to experience this event. I don't know why Ayanokouji didn't see this coming; it was quite obvious it was going to end up like this.

"Wha—Ah, ah!"

"I'll take your cries of pain as your apology for touching me. Next time, though, I'll pay you back double."

I give you my condolences, Ayanokouji.

Ichinose and Kanzaki were flabbergasted at this whole ordeal. Ichinose, in particular, looked a little terrified of Horikita. Soon enough, Ayanokouji recovered and began to slowly follow Horikita. I bid Ichinose and Kanzaki goodbye before doing the same. There really is no rest for the wicked