Classroom of the Elite: Reaction

by KavkaShin

Karuizawa Kei and the other first year students receive a mysterious message that takes them to the theater, where they are told to watch something they would never have thought of before.

8. Volume 1 Part 6

The tension as the previous video settles down in the room, everyone making the most of the five minute break. Some of them were discussing, playing cellphones, and there were also those who were silent doing nothing.

Shinohara took a deep breath as she leaned back in her chair.

"Are you all right, Shinohara-san?" Satou asked looking at her confusedly, Matsushita also looked at her with the same gaze as Satou.

Apparently her sigh had made her two friends worried.

"I'm fine," Shinohara replied with a smile before she sighed again, "It's just…"

"You are still curious about whether Ayanokouji-kun is holding back or not?" said Matsushita trying to guess.

Shinohara was slightly flinched by Matsushita's words, then she nodded, "Yes."

"Does it bother you that he really is holding back?" asked Matsushita. She needed to ask this for future self-reference.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't bothered, he has great abilities but he doesn't use those abilities to help the class. But what I want to know is his reason for holding back."

"His reason?"

"Yes, I want to know the reason he's holding back. Why isn't he serious in class? Is he the type of person who enjoys seeing others suffer when he himself can? In that case, then I will be very angry at him."

Someone who has an extraordinary ability but does not use that ability to its fullest, and even worse, that person enjoys watching other people try hard to get something that he himself is very easy to get. Anyone would definitely be angry at that person.

"I can assure you, Shinohara-san. Kiyotaka-kun would never think of something like that," said Satou, looking at Shinohara with reassuring eyes.

Shinohara was slightly surprised by Satou's gaze, it was rare for her to see her friend like that.

"Then do you know why Ayanokouji-kun is holding back, Satou-san?" asked Matsushita.

"To be honest I don't know because Kiyotaka-kun never said the reason. But I might be able to give you some guesses," said Satou.

"What is it?"

"It's quite long, but since we still have time so I'll summarize."

Satou paused and closed her eyes for a moment, looking like she was composing her words.

"Okay, you guys still remember when I was called by Kiyotaka-kun to the meeting room earlier?" said Satou after a while.

"Yes," said Shinohara nodding.

"I think you discussed something important there?" asked Matsushita.

"You could say that, in there Kiyotaka-kun told us all about his past. Starting from when he was still a child until before he entered this school."

"I see… but why did he tell you that?"

"Kiyotaka-kun wanted us to understand him, he did that because he didn't want us to misunderstand him, he wanted us to understand all the actions he did. Why did he do that, what purpose did he do that, and many others. He wanted us to understand all of that."

"I still do not understand. What action did he take? Did he do something at this school?" Shinohara asked frowning.

"I honestly don't know either, but we might be able to see that if we keep watching this video. Back to the topic, since Kiyotaka-kun has told me all about himself, I guess I can give a few guesses as to why he's holding back."

Shinohara and Matsushita focused their attention on Satou.

"As you all know, Kiyotaka-kun has never experienced a normal student life before. That's why he is determined to experience a normal and peaceful student life in this school. But he doesn't like to stand out because it might ruin his normal life, that's why he restrains himself and doesn't draw attention to himself."

"But if he doesn't hold back, he can still experience a normal student life, right?" Shinohara asked who was still unsure.

"Maybe it's a matter of perspective," said Matsushita, getting the attention of her friends.

"Perspective?"

"Yes, from Ayanokouji-kun's perspective, according to him a normal student is one who is neither smart nor stupid, meaning somewhere in between. If he didn't hold back then it was certain that his academic abilities would attract the attention of others, something he desperately avoided. Also he doesn't want to be seen as stupid because he might be shunned by people."

Satou nodded, "Kiyotaka-kun doesn't like to stand out. He just wanted to be thought of as a normal student that could be found anywhere. He thought that his wish wouldn't come true if he didn't hold back."

After hearing the lengthy explanation from Satou and Matsushita, Shinohara couldn't help but finally understand the meaning of what they were saying.

"It's a shame, he could have helped our classmates who were struggling with their studies," said Shinohara with a sigh.

"Would you like to be taught by him, Shinohara-san?" Satou asked.

Shinohara waved her hand, "No way, even though his academic ability is high but I hardly ever talk to him, it's impossible for me to ask him to teach me, that would be very awkward. If I had to choose, I would prefer to be taught by Hirata-kun or Kushida-san."

Satou nodded understanding Shinohara's reasoning, she thought that Ayanokouji would also be very nervous if he taught Shinohara, since the two of them were in different groups and hardly ever spoke.

"Speaking of academic ability, do you know the extent of Ayanokouji-kun's abilities, Satou-san?" Asked Matsushita who was very curious about Ayanokouji's abilities.

Shinohara looked at Satou with an interested look, it seemed she was just as curious as Matsushita.

"Ah of course, Kiyotaka-kun told me about that too," said Satou, she pondered for a moment before continuing, "But how about we continue watching, I want you guys to see for yourself Kiyotaka-kun's abilities rather than just words."

If Satou said that Ayanokouji had mastered all subjects up to university level and beyond, they would not believe it or at least find it hard to believe. That's why Satou wants them to see firsthand what Ayanokouji is capable of.

Shinohara and Matsushita looked at each other, it seemed they were having a discussion through their eyes. After a while they both sighed.

"Okay," said Shinohara leaning back on the chair.

"I don't think we should rush," added Matsushita.

Satou nodded happily that her friends agreed with her, then she leaned back on the chair to relax her body.

Shortly after, the five minute break ended and the next video finally aired.

The Association of Failures

"Oh, what an interesting title," said Ryueen grinning.

"What else are they going to do now," said Ibuki resting her chin on her hands, she was skeptical about the title this time.

"Maybe their behavior is in class," said Ishizaki, who just guessed.

"Association, huh. That means they've come together for something, I think it's for the midterms. But can they really be together?" Shiina thought inside her head, she thought that the students in that class wouldn't be easy to work with.

Meanwhile, several Class C students cringed at the title of the video.

"Sometimes Eve can be cruel too, huh," said Mori, pouting.

"Yeah," said Onodera who had the same expression.

Horikita had been sullen all morning. It would've been nice if she got adorable when she was angry. If she puffed out her reddened cheeks, she'd be cute enough to make any man would swoon. However, she remained expressionless and silent, refusing to acknowledge my existence. If I were to ignore her, though, she'd probably take out her compass. After an especially long day, we finally finished class.

"When is this?" Shibata asked curiously.

"Dunno, no idea," Hamaguchi said with a shrug.

"What is certain is that this happened before the midterms," said Kanzaki crossing his arms.

"Have you gathered everyone in the study group?"

"Study group?"

Everyone subconsciously said those words, they didn't expect those words to come out of Horikita's mouth.

"So she created a study group," said Sakayanagi giggling, as if she saw something ridiculous.

"I'm sure she did it because she forced to," Kamuro said.

"Well, considering her personality, there's no way she would do it voluntarily," said Hashimoto.

Her first words to me included "study group." She was most definitely implying something.

"Kushida's bringing them. I wonder if she'll participate," I replied.

"Kushida-san, hmm? I thought I specified that she wasn't allowed to participate…"

"Their relationship is still bad," said Nishimura with a sigh.

"What a pity," said Maezono with a bitter expression.

Sonoda nodded "It's really a shame, if only the two of them worked together, I'm sure our class would get even more points."

Nishimura and Maezono nodded in agreement with Sonoda's words. After that they looked back at the screen.

Whether the girls are aware of it or not, Horikita and Kushida have reconciled and are now sitting next to each other in the back row of class C.

Satisfied, Horikita left for the library, and I followed. Kushida gave me a too-cute wink as I left. Together, Horikita and I secured a long table at the far end of the library and waited for the others.

"I've brought everyone!"

"Oh no…"

Kushida turned pale and worried when she saw the scene on the screen. Memories about the place, time and activities on the screen are still fresh in her brain. What she was worried about was not the scene on the screen, but the events that happened after that scene.

Because that day was the day Ayanokouji found out her true personality.

Kushida knew that this scene would come sooner or later, but even so her heart still wasn't ready when the time came. That was all evidenced by the feeling of anxiety that suddenly built up inside of her and the sweat running down her forehead.

She actually doesn't care anymore about getting attention from other people, she has buried her desire when she joined Ayanokouji's group, people who have accepted her as she is.

But the fact that everyone will know her true personality still makes her anxious.

"Is there something wrong, Kikyou-san?" Ask someone who was beside her.

Kushida turned her head and saw Horikita looking at her with a confused look, then she noticed that not only was Horikita looking at her, the rest of Ayanokouji's group were also looking at her with confused and worried looks. Apparently, her muttering just now was loud enough for them to hear.

"W-Well, that…"

Kushida stuttered, she didn't know what to say because of the anxiety building up inside her. She then turned to Ayanokouji slowly, hoping to get some help.

Ayanokouji returned Kushida's gaze, he could feel Kushida's emotions very clearly, there was anxiety and fear inside Kushida for what would happen in a moment.

Just like Kushida, Ayanokouji also remembers very clearly the events that will happen after this, because those events were the events that quite shocked him while attending school here. He didn't expect that Kushida who was nicknamed Class Angel had such a personality.

Ayanokouji looked back at Kushida, he could tell the girl was now trying to ask for help from the look in her eyes. He couldn't act rashly now, if he tried to help but didn't get rid of the root of Kushida's anxiety, then Kushida would be the one who would suffer in the end.

He had to allay Kushida's anxiety about everyone's reaction when they found out her true personality.

Ayanokouji had heard of cases where someone had trained hard for a job interview, but when it came time for the actual interview, they got so nervous and worried that it failed them.

The same thing was happening to Kushida, she had already prepared herself for this kind of situation. But when the real incident came, she became nervous and anxious that made her unprepared for the situation.

Ayanokouji thought for a moment to find a method that could solve this problem, a method that could completely eliminate Kushida's anxiety.

But actually he didn't need to think about that method for long, because he had already thought of a plan for this kind of situation ever since he decided to help Kushida, it's just that he wasn't sure whether he should use that plan or not, because the success of that plan depended on how the reactions of the other members of Ayanokouji's group.

"I guess there's no problem if I do that," thought Ayanokouji firming up his choice.

"Kikyou-san?"

Horikita asked once more having received no response from Kushida. Kushida herself was currently hit by anxiety that was even higher than before, she had tried to ask Ayanokouji for help from the look in her eyes but Ayanokouji remaining silent and not saying anything made her anxiety increase, and it raised terrible questions in her mind.

Will Ayanokouji not help her?

Was she betrayed?

Had Ayanokouji purposely given those touching words in the meeting room just now to destroy herself here? In front of everyone?

An unpleasant thought couldn't help but appear in Kushida's mind.

"I-I..." Kushida tried to answer Horikita's question but she was at a loss for words, anxiety clouding her mind. And when she was in despair…

"Dark Kikyou will appear."

She heard Ayanokouji's voice from her left.

"Hah!?"

Everyone involuntarily let out shocked voices while looking at Ayanokouji, Kushida also turned to Ayanokouji with her mouth agape.

"What did you say?" Karuizawa asked, feeling unsure of what she was hearing.

"Dark Kikyou will appear," Ayanokouji said casually, not noticing the others' confusion by his words.

Karuizawa held her head, apparently she heard right, Ayanokouji actually said that.

"What the hell is that?" Sudou asked with raised eyebrows.

"I mean Kikyou's true personality, you guys already know how the other side of her is, right? Well, I named it Dark Kikyou," said Ayanokouji nodding in satisfaction, proud of himself.

"…"

Nobody spoke, they were all too surprised and looked at Ayanokouji in disbelief, even Horikita without hesitation sent an 'I don't know if this person is called a genius or an idiot' look.

"Pfft!"

Stifled giggles could be heard around them, they turned to the source of the sound and saw Kushida covering her mouth to keep from laughing.

"Pfft ha ha ha ha ha…"

Unable to contain it any longer, Kushida let out a laugh but she had enough self-control not to be heard by others.

"What are you doing, Kyo-chan?" Hasebe asked confused, just a moment ago Kushida had turned pale, but now she was already laughing as if her appearance just now was an illusion.

It took Kushida a few moments to suppress her laughter, after she wiped away the tears that had gathered in the corners of her eyes from her laughter earlier.

"I'm fine, it's just that I find Kiyotaka-kun's words funny," answered Kushida with a smile, then she turned to Ayanokouji, "Jeez, you surprised me just now. I didn't expect you to say that."

"How do you feel now?" asked Ayanokouji.

"Better," Kushida replied. For some reason after hearing Ayanokouji's joke, Kushida's anxiety disappeared. It was as if clear weather appeared after a heavy rain, very refreshing.

"Looks like going well," Ayanokouji thought while looking at Kushida who was getting excited again.

Jokes can relieve anxiety. He had read a book about it during his visit to the library, so Ayanokouji purposely came up with a joke to relieve Kushida's anxiety, and it seemed to be very effective.

"So what's wrong?" Horikita asked a bit demandingly, looking like she was annoyed at being ignored a few times.

"Ah, I'm sorry," said Kushida flinching slightly, then she looked at everyone shyly, "Well, there's actually a possibility that my secret might be exposed in this video."

Everyone widened their eyes, now they understood why Kushida was so pale before. They also understood what Ayanokouji's joke meant earlier, it was to relieve Kushida's anxiety.

"Seriously?" Karuizawa asked one more time to confirm.

Kushida nodded "Yes, very seriously."

Miyake sighed as he leaned back in his chair, "Man, chaos is sure to ensue after this."

No one disputed Miyake's words. They also understood the repercussions this would have, chaos would occur not only in class C but also the other classes, it was all because Kushida's influence was too great.

"What should we do?" asked Hirata worriedly, he definitely doesn't want any chaos especially in his own class.

Everyone simultaneously turned to the person who was the brains of their group, Ayanokouji.

Ayanokouji could feel everyone's stares, but instead of speaking he took out his smartphone and started typing something.

Everyone was confused by Ayanokouji's actions, they could see him typing something on his smartphone but they couldn't tell what he was typing.

Soon their smartphones vibrated and showed a message that had just arrived, they then realized that Ayanokouji had just sent a message to Ayanokouji's group chat.

Ayanokouji: [Let's discuss it here so everyone can hear.]

That was the content of the message from Ayanokouji, soon several other messages entered the group chat.

Satou: [Eh, what? What happened?]

Ichinose: [Did something happen?]

Shiina: [Is everyone okay?]

Because their seats were far away from Ayanokouji and the others, the three of them had absolutely no idea what was going on. That's why Ayanokouji uses a group chat so they can join in.

Ayanokouji: [I'll explain everything, please pay close attention.]

After that Ayanokouji told everyone about the plan for dealing with the situation Kushida was in now, everyone was watching their smartphone screens intently while Ayanokouji explained the plan.

Ayanokouji: [That's it. Can you do it?]

Ayanokouji asked that after he had explained his plan to everyone.

Karuizawa: [Sure. I think I can do it.]

Sudou: [Heh. That's easy.]

Hirata: [Let's do it.]

Ayanokouji: [To Honami and Hiyori, just focus on your class in case your class gets affected.]

Ichinose: [I understand.]

Shiina: [Okay.]

The others also agreed with Ayanokouji's plan.

Kushida: [Thank you very much, everyone.]

Kushida thanked them gratefully, really she was lucky to have friends like them.

Horikita: [Alright, then let's do that when the time comes, let's continue watching for now.]

Everyone agreed with Horikita's order, they all then turned their heads back to the screen.

Kushida came over to where we were seated. Behind her was…

"Kushida-chan told us about this study group. I don't want to be expelled after only just starting. Thanks!"

Ike, Yamauchi, and Sudou had all shown up. However, they'd brought an unexpected visitor, a boy named Okitani.

Huh? Okitani, you failed, too?" I asked.

"Oh, n-no. Not exactly. I was just really close to failing, so I was worried… Is it not, er, okay for me to join you? It's a little difficult to join Hirata's group…"

"Is it okay if Okitani-kun joins us, too?" Kushida asked Horikita. Okitani had scored thirty-nine on the test, after all. He likely wanted to participate just to be safe.

"As long as you're worried about failing, I don't mind. But you need to be serious," Horikita said.

"Oh, okay."

Okitani sat down, seemingly happy. Kushida tried to sit next to him, which Horikita certainly noticed.

"Kushida-san, did Ayanokouji-kun not tell you? You—"

"I'm also worried about getting a bad grade," Kushida said.

"You…didn't score badly on the small test."

"Yes, but to tell you the truth, I was lucky. There were lots of multiple- choice questions, you know? So I guessed about half of them. In truth, I just barely passed."

Kushida giggled adorably, lightly scratching her cheek.

"Is that true?" Yukimura asked in disbelief, as he remembered Kushida was pretty good in academics. Kushida has slightly above average grades.

"Well actually I lied, I should have come up with a reasonable enough reason for Suzune-san to allow me," said Kushida while rubbing her head shyly.

"I see," Yukimura said while nodding.

"I think that I'm about on the same level as Okitani-kun, if not slightly worse. So I want to join the study group to avoid getting a bad grade. That's okay, right?"

I couldn't hide my surprise at Kushida's unexpected scheme. She'd first confirmed that Okitani could join the study group, then turned the tables on Horikita. Now Horikita would have to permit her to join.

"I see, so that's her plan," said Kanzaki slightly widening his eyes.

"Did you find something, Kanzaki?" Shibata asked after seeing Kanzaki's reaction.

"Judging from Ayanokouji's reaction earlier, it seems like inviting Okitani wasn't part of their plan but rather Kushida's own initiative. Kushida used Okitani who was worried about getting bad grades to persuade Horikita to accept him to join the study group, after Okitani was accepted, Kushida used the same excuse so Horikita couldn't refuse," explained Kanzaki.

"Why? Couldn't Horikita have refused?" Shibata asked confused.

"That would make Okitani feel uncomfortable, because Kushida is using the same excuse as Okitani so if Horikita rejects Kushida, it would be the same as rejecting Okitani," Hamaguchi said while pushing up his glasses.

Kanzaki nodded in agreement with Hamaguchi's words.

"I see. How troublesome," Shibata said with a sigh.

"Fine," Horikita growled.

"Thank you." Kushida smiled, bowed, and took her seat. Bringing Okitani had probably been part of her plan all along. She'd effectively used him to justify joining the group.

"Just like you two said," Shibata said to Hamaguchi and Kanzaki.

"Scoring lower than thirty-two means failing. Do you fail if you get exactly thirty-two points, though?" Sudou asked.

"No, you're safe if you score at least thirty-two points. Sudou, you can manage that, right?" Ike said.

Even Ike was worried about Sudou. Of course those guys would want to know the exact threshold.

"It doesn't really matter. My goal is for everyone to score fifty," Horikita said.

"That's probably an exaggeration," said Satou.

"Yes, we all know Sudou-kun's academic ability is very low, forcing him to score fifty in such a short amount of time is absolutely impossible," said Matsushita agreeing with Satou.

"I can already feel something bad is going to happen," said Shinohara groaning.

Matsushita and Satou agreed with that, they could already see from the screen that Horikita and Sudou were complete opposites, and they were very sure that that would not be the last time Horikita insulted Sudou and the others.

"Gah, isn't that going to be too tough?"

"Aiming to just skate by is dangerous. The fact that you can't easily reach that threshold troubles me."

In the face of Horikita's sound argument, the failures simply nodded reluctantly.

"I included most of what will be covered on this test. We only have about two weeks left, but I plan to thoroughly walk you through everything. If you don't understand something, please ask."

"Hey, I don't understand the first question." Sudou glared at Horikita. I tried reading the first problem as well.

"Only the first question and he already asked," said Hashimoto, whistling with amusement.

"What do you expect from him?" Kamuro said in a bored tone.

"A, B, and C collectively have 2,150 yen. A has 120 yen more than B does. Also, after C gives B two-fifths of his money, B would have 220 yen more than A. How much yen did A originally start with?"

A problem with simultaneous equations, huh? The first test question should have been one that a high school student could easily solve.

"Try thinking about it. If you give up right at the beginning, you won't get anywhere."

"Look, I don't know how to study at all," Sudou said.

"Everyone got into this school."

This school didn't accept people based solely on test scores, though. Sudou had most likely been accepted because of his exceptional physical ability. If you looked at it that way, wouldn't he likely be expelled because of bad grades?

"It seems Horikita-san didn't even listen to what Chabashira-sensei said earlier," said Amikura.

"I guess so, Suzune-san still thinks herself superior to everyone else," said Ichinose while nodding.

"Ugh, I don't get it either." Ike, equally bewildered, scratched his head.

"Do you understand, Okitani-kun?" Horikita asked.

"Let's see… A plus B plus C is 2,150 yen. So, A equals B plus 120. Then…" Okitani started writing out a series of equations. Kushida, seated next to him, glanced over her shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah, that looks right. Then what?"

You could certainly call Kushida bold, or even audacious. She'd claimed to have just barely avoided failing, and she was now teaching Okitani.

"Now that you say it, I didn't realize it at all back then," Kushida said shyly.

"You help others so much that it becomes a habit," Horikita said.

"Do you want to do it too, Suzune-san?" Kushida asked.

"Not interested, that sounds really troublesome," Horikita answered while crossing her arms.

"Too bad."

"Honestly, first- and second-year junior high school students could easily solve this problem. If you stumble here, it'll be impossible for you to continue," Horikita said.

"So, what, we're like elementary school kids?" Sudou growled.

"Oh, you said it, Kenchin," said Hasebe with amusement, Sudou could only groan in response.

"Looks like Haruka has found a new prey to tease," thought Ayanokouji, usually Hasebe would always tease Sakura because Sakura had feelings for him.

"Like Horikita-san said, it'll be bad if you get tripped up here. The math problems on the short test were about this difficult, but the last problems were really tough. I didn't understand how to solve them," Okitani said.

"Listen up. This can be easily solved using a system of simultaneous equations." Without hesitation, Horikita picked up her pen and got to work. Unfortunately, it looked like only Kushida and Okitani understood.

"What even are simultaneous equations?" asked Ike.

Many students were surprised by Ike's question, they didn't expect that Ike would ask that and wondered if he had even been studying all this time.

"Hey Kanji, are you okay?" Hondou asked worriedly when he heard everyone talking about Ike.

"Yeah, I'm fine. But dammit, just look at me I won't let others belittle me again," Ike grumbled.

"That's the spirit. Don't worry, we've got your back," said Miyamoto giving a thumbs up.

"Thank you buddy."

"Are you seriously asking me that?" said Horikita.

"Looks like Suzune-san doesn't have the patience to be a teacher, she could just gently tell them," said Shiina.

"That's impossible, she wasn't interested in teaching them from the start," Ibuki snorted.

"Ku ku, the group is doomed," Ryuuen said with a grin.

"What do you mean, Ryuuen-san?" Ishizaki asked confused.

"You just wait," Ryuuen answered briefly.

Wow, these guys had really never studied at all, it seemed. Sudou threw his mechanical pencil onto the desk.

"Stop. I'm done. This isn't going to work."

"Jeez, it hasn't even been ten minutes and group study is already a mess," Andou said shaking her head.

"What was Horikita-san's first aim to teach them anyway? All she did was insult them," said Minamikata.

"I don't know, I also want to know."

Sudou had quit before we could even begin. Horikita quietly seethed at this pitiful display.

"W-wait, everyone. Let's give it a shot. If you learn how to solve these problems, you can apply what you learn to the questions on the test. Okay? Okay?" Kushida said.

"Well, if Kushida-chan says so, I guess I can try. But if Kushida-chan were teaching, I'd probably try even harder."

"U-um…" Kushida seemed ready to ask Horikita about that, but Horikita stayed silent. Her refusal to even answer "Yes" or "No" was troubling. However, if she remained silent much longer, the failures might abandon this study group. Kushida made up her mind and grabbed the mechanical pencil.

"Like Horikita-san said, you can solve this problem by using a system of simultaneous equations. So let's try writing them out."

Quickly, she wrote down three equations. It looked like the others were trying their best, but it still seemed hopeless. This was more like detention than a study group. They didn't seem to understand her methods in the slightest.

"So, the answer I got is 710 yen. What did you get?"

Kushida, confident in Sudou's ability to follow along, flashed him a smile.

"Um, so you used this to get the answer? How?" he asked.

"Uh…" Kushida immediately realized what had happened. None of them understood.

"I'm sorry, you're far too ignorant and incompetent," said Horikita, who'd been silent until now. "If you can't solve this problem, I seriously shiver at the thought of what the future will bring."

Many were boiling at Horikita's words, while everything was going smoothly with Kushida, Horikita immediately destroyed the atmosphere with her insults.

Shiina stared at the screen with a complicated expression, her mind full of questions about Horikita's actions.

"I wonder why Suzune-san keeps insulting them, she wants to form a study group but she has no interest in teaching them, all she does is insult them. It will make them…"

Shiina's thoughts were immediately interrupted when she managed to deduce one reasonable guess about Horikita's actions, her eyes widening at the knowledge.

"Could it be…" Shiina subconsciously muttered.

"Ku ku, so you noticed that too, Hiyori. Suzune's goal," Ryuuen said chuckling.

"Yes," said Shiina with a sad expression, "That's quite…cruel."

"Eh what? What does it mean?" Asked Ishizaki who was confused by Shiina and Ryuuen's interaction, Ibuki also had the same expression as Ishizaki.

"You'll see," Ryuuen said, just like before.

"Tch! Just stop playing with these secrets!" Ibuki snapped, it seemed she was annoyed with Ryuuen who was lazy to give an explanation, then she turned to Shiina, "Shiina, what did you mean by that?"

Shiina was silent for a moment before replying, "I mean, from the start Suzune-san didn't intend to teach them at all, her real goal was to destroy them mentally so they don't have the enthusiasm to study anymore and make them drop out of school."

"Hah!?"

"Hah!?"

Ibuki and Ishizaki simultaneously gasped at Shiina's words, they couldn't believe what they were hearing.

"But what did she do that for?" asked Ishizaki.

"Ku ku now I ask you, which one is easier between maintaining and letting go?" Ryuuen asked.

"Letting go," Ibuki answered immediately.

"Eh, umm, yeah, letting go," said Ishizaki nodding after Ibuki.

"That's what Suzune is doing now, instead of keeping those idiots by increasing their academic ability, it's easier for her to just let them go."

Ryuuen paused for a moment before continuing.

"Suzune desperately wants to advance to Class A, so having people stand in the way of her goals is unnecessary for her. That's why she plans to expel those idiots, even if they can pass this test, a similar situation will occur again if they don't have the will to change."

Hearing Ryuuen's explanation, Ibuki and Ishizaki now understood why Shiina was so surprised.

After all, kicking out a classmate just for selfish reasons is cruel from a normal person's perspective.

"Shut up. This has nothing to do with you." Sudou slammed the desk, understandably irritated by Horikita.

"You're right. This has nothing to do with me. Your suffering won't influence me at all. I just pity you. You must have spent your whole life running from anything that presented a challenge," she said.

"Say whatever you want. Academics will be useless in the future, anyway."

"Academics will be useless in the future? That's an interesting argument. How do you justify that?"

"I don't care if I can't solve this problem. Studying's useless. Aiming to become a pro basketball player will help me a lot more."

"Studying is useless, huh. What do you think Shibata, you want to be professional too, right?" asked Hamaguchi.

"Well, to be honest I don't know because I'm not a professional yet. But I think that studying is useful, because there might be a situation where academic ability is needed in sports," said Shibata.

"Indeed, no matter how much we deny it, studying is useful for every aspect of life," said Kanzaki crossing his arms.

"Incorrect. Once you learn to solve these kinds of problems, your entire life will change. In other words, studying increases the possibility that you'll solve the problems you face. It's the same principle as basketball. I wonder if, so far, you've been playing basketball by your own set of rules. When you struggle in basketball, do you run away from it like you do from studying? I doubt you take basketball practice seriously. You're a natural troublemaker, someone who always causes a disruption. If I were your adviser, I wouldn't let you on the team."

Many students were indirectly offended by Horikita's words, even more so for those who entered the sports club. It's true that Sudou's behavior is problematic but Horikita's words aren't true either.

For them, other people have no right to judge the club activities they are doing, let alone insult them.

"Tch!" Sudou got in close to Horikita and grabbed her by the collar.

"Sudou-kun!" Kushida grabbed Sudou's arm faster than I could move. Despite Sudou's intimidations, Horikita didn't flinch. She simply fixed Sudou with an icy glare.

"You don't interest me in the slightest, but I can tell what kind of person you are just by looking at you. You want to play professional basketball? Do you honestly believe you can make such a childish dream come true in this world? A simpleton like you who gives up right away could never hope to go pro. Furthermore, even if you managed to become a professional player, I doubt you'd earn an annual income sufficient to live on. You're a fool to have such unreasonable aspirations."

"Aaaagh, this is so annoying! I know she's smart but should she insult other people's dreams like that!? She looks like everything is the same in her eyes, everyone has different dreams, be it sports, study or other things, they will do their best for the things they like," shouted a frustrated Shibata, he didn't look at Horikita but his friends realized that his frustration it was aimed at Horikita.

Like Shibata said, one does their best when they are doing something they are passionate about. That description suited Sudou very well, he didn't like studying but the Class C students especially the boys knew how talented Sudou was at basketball, in fact he was already a regular in first year, a feat that was rare for others.

It all proved how wrong Horikita's words were, because without hard work Sudou would never become a member of the core team.

Shibata's friends stared at him wide-eyed, they couldn't believe seeing the usually cheerful and lively person shouting in annoyance.

"H-Hey, Shibata." Hamaguchi tried to call out to his friend.

Shibata was panting after his outburst, he then took a deep breath to calm himself down.

"Sorry guys. I was quite annoyed earlier, I can't hold it in any longer," said Shibata laughing shyly.

"It's okay, sometimes you do have to let go," said Kanzaki.

"Ha ha, my gosh. That must be really annoying for you to be that pissed off," Hamaguchi said with a relieved laugh.

"Sorry, sorry, ha ha," said Shibata scratching his head.

Ichinose and the others breathed a sigh of relief, for a moment she was worried that Shibata's annoyance would continue to cause chaos, but she thankfully only lasted a moment.

"You!"

It was clear that Sudou was on the brink of losing control. If he raised his fist, I'd have to wrestle him down.

"So, you're just going to immediately give up on studying or on school in general? Then discard your dreams of playing basketball and spend your days toiling away at a pitiful part-time job."

"Suzune-san, I think your words have gone too far," Hirata said rebuking Horikita with a troubled expression.

Horikita bit her lip, she already knew that her words on the screen were wrong a long time ago, but looking at it from a third person perspective, she now knew how despicable her words were, not only for Sudou but for all the people who work hard to achieve their dreams.

Even now she didn't know what to say to Hirata, but she still had to say something otherwise the situation would get worse.

"It's okay, Yousuke."

But right before Horikita could say anything, Sudou suddenly spoke, cutting Horikita off.

Horikita and the rest of Ayanokouji's group looked curiously at Sudou.

"I mean, we've all seen the change Suzune went through by now, right? So I don't think we need to bring that up again. I was also at fault there for not having the passion to study anyway," said Sudou.

The members of Ayanokouji's group stared at Sudou in disbelief and admiration, they had seen Sudou like this twice already, the first was when he cheered up another depressed Class C student and the second was now.

After a long silence, Hirata then chuckled, "Ha ha, I think you're right. I apologize for my behavior just now, Suzune-san," Hirata said to Horikita.

"Don't mind it, I deserve it," Horikita said with a sigh, then she turned to Sudou with a complicated expression, "Aren't you mad?"

"Well, I'm not angry, it's just that I was a little annoyed when I heard what you said on the screen earlier. But don't worry about it, like I said before that you've changed now, haven't you?" said Sudou.

Horikita just stared at Sudou while hearing what he said, before long she let out a sigh and gave a small smile, "To be honest you have a greater amount of change than I do."

"R-Really? Ha ha," said Sudou laughing coyly.

Everyone agreed with Horikita's words, Sudou's difference from his past self was stark, they seemed to see two different people. Sudou looked even wiser since entering this theater room.

"I believe it's because he has seen through our past," thought Ayanokouji while observing Sudou.

He was sure because Sudou had seen various other people's pasts, both full of happiness and suffering, that made Sudou change his outlook on life for the better.

"Hmph. That's just fine. I'll quit, but it's not because it's difficult. I took a day off from my club activities for this, and it ended up being a complete waste of time. Later!" Sudou said.

"What an odd thing to say. Studying is difficult." Horikita took a parting shot at Sudou. If Kushida weren't there, Sudou probably would have smacked Horikita. He stuffed his textbooks into his bag, not even hiding his irritation.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"I don't care. It's pointless to care about someone who lacks any motivation whatsoever. Even though he's facing expulsion, he has no will to fight."

"I thought that it was weird for someone like you, who doesn't have any friends, to put this study group together. You probably just wanted to call us stupid. If you weren't a girl, I'd smack you."

"So, you lack the courage to hit me? Don't use my gender as an excuse," Horikita said.

The newly assembled study group was already falling apart.

"I'm quitting, too. Partly 'cause I can't deal with studying, but mostly 'cause I'm annoyed. You might be smart, Horikita, but that doesn't mean you can act like you're better than us." Ike, clearly fed up, threw in the towel as well.

"I don't care if you get expelled. Do what you want," Horikita shot back.

"Well, I'll just pull an all-nighter."

"Interesting. Didn't you come here because you can't study?"

"Tch…" Even the typically easygoing Ike stiffened under the sting of Horikita's barbed comments. Yamauchi started putting his textbook away as well. Finally, the easily influenced Okitani got out of his seat.

"I-Is this really okay, everyone?" he stammered.

"Let's go, Okitani."

Ike left the library, trailed by the hesitant Okitani. Now only Kushida, Horikita, and I remained. Soon, even Kushida would probably reach her limit and leave.

"Horikita-san, we're not going to be able to study with anyone if things continue like this…" Kushida murmured.

"I was certainly mistaken. Even if I'd helped them avoid failure this time, we would've faced a similar dilemma soon after. We'd have to go through this irritation all over again. Eventually, they'll fail. I finally understand how unproductive this was. I don't have the time for it."

"Wait, what do you mean?"

"I mean that it's better to get rid of the dead weight."

"D-Dead weight… so she really meant to take them out," Shinohara said while stuttering.

"It seems so, from Horikita-san's point of view it's useless to teach people who don't have the motivation to learn," said Matsushita.

"But it seems Suzune-san changed her mind since they're still in this school, right?" Satou asked. Since Sudou and the others were still attending school here, she thought that somehow Horikita changed her mind and taught them.

"I think so," said Matsushita nodding, agreeing with Satou's words.

"Thank goodness," Shinohara said with a huge sigh of relief, something neither of her friends missed.

Matsushita and Satou looked at each other after seeing Shinohara's reaction, they then grinned after realizing something and looked at Shinohara together.

Shinohara suddenly felt goosebumps when she noticed the stares of her two friends, "W-What's wrong?" she stammered.

"Nothing. But thank goodness Ike-kun didn't drop out, did he, Matsushita-san?" Satou asked with a smile.

"Hm, hm, thank goodness," said Matsushita, smiling.

"H-Huh! W-Wait, I don't understand. What's wrong with you two? Why are you grateful about him?" Asked Shinohara who was very confused, she had a very bad feeling seeing the behavior of her two friends.

"Of course we are grateful, you will definitely be happy if Ike-kun doesn't drop out, right?" said Satou.

"Yes, we don't want you to be sad. We are grateful that the person you like is still going to school here," said Matsushita, grinning.

"…"

Shinohara froze for a moment, she wasn't sure what she heard and it took her a moment to recover, after which her face turned red.

"H-Huh! W-What am I sad for!? A-And whoever l-likes that idiot and pervert, there's nothing to be proud of. There's no way he'd like me anyways!"

Shinohara denied vehemently, but Satou and Matsushita knew that it was only to cover up her embarrassment. Their grins widened hearing that, but they felt they had enough to tease Shinohara.

"Okay, okay, we understand. We're just kidding," said Satou.

"Yes, just kidding," said Matsushita nodding. After that they both looked back at the screen.

Shinohara would probably believe what her friends were saying if only they wiped the smirk off their faces, she was sure that they wouldn't listen and would come back to tease her later.

Shinohara sighed and looked back at the screen. She would let them this time.

"I like Ike, huh…"

Even so, the words remained in her mind.

That was Horikita's ultimate conclusion. If the failing students were expelled, then the class's average test scores would go up, and we wouldn't have to expend any extra effort.

"M-Man, it's a good thing that Horikita still wanted to teach me, otherwise I would have been kicked out by now," Ike said while shaking.

"Yeah, you're in luck, man. But I wonder why she changed her mind, she looks like she really wants to expel you out there. Has anyone persuaded her?" said Hondou wonderingly.

"I was wondering about that too," Ike said confusedly.

"Could it be Kushida-chan?" said Miyamoto trying to guess.

"I thought about that for a while, but after seeing Horikita and Kikyou-chan's relationship so bad, I'm not sure," Ike said with a frown.

"That's true," Hondou said when he realized what Ike said made sense.

Ike and his friends crossed their arms while thinking of a hint about Horikita's change of mind.

It's a great move, by thinking, one can get a clue and solve any problem they're having.

But there is one problem.

They are all idiots.

"Aagh, whatever, I didn't find any clues," said Ike immediately giving up.

"We really don't need to think about that," said a voice, Ike and the others turned to the source of the voice and saw Sotomura sitting behind them.

"Professor!? Do you know something?" Hondou asked slightly surprised.

"Not at all, but like I said before, we don't need to think about that because there's a chance we'll see who is the one who changed Horikita-dono's mind if we keep watching this," Sotomura said.

Ike and his friends looked at each other when they heard Sotomura's words, they thought that Sotomura's words made sense.

"Come to think of it the professor is right, we can see about it later," Ike said as he leaned back in the chair.

"Huh, why were we thinking so hard just now," said Hondou while shaking his head.

After that they all looked back at the screen.

"So, that's… H-hey, Ayanokouji-kun. Can you say something?" Kushida murmured.

"If that's Horikita's answer, then isn't it fine?"

"You think so too, Ayanokouji-kun?"

"Well, I don't want to toss them to the wolves or anything, but I'm not the tutor. There's nothing I can do about it." In the end, I felt similarly to Horikita.

Some of the Class C students thought that Ayanokouji and Horikita's attitude was cruel for leaving their classmates behind, but then they realized that they used to wish Sudou and the others were kicked out of school as well.

So none of them commented on Horikita's plan to get Sudou and his friends out.

"Okay. I see." Kushida grabbed her bag and stood up, her expression darkening. "I'm going to do something. Well, I'll try. I definitely don't want everything to fall apart so quickly."

"Kushida-san. Do you really feel that way?"

"Is it wrong? I don't want to abandon Sudou-kun, Ike-kun, and Yamauchi-kun."

*sniff

"Kikyou-chan really is a good person," Ike said while rubbing his nose in emotion.

"Even if that was how you truly felt, I wouldn't particularly care. But I don't think that you actually want to save them," Horikita said.

"What? I don't understand. Why do you say things like that, Horikita- san? Why do you try to antagonize people? That's…very sad."

Kushida hung her head briefly, then looked back up at us. She met our eyes.

"Well then. I'll see you two tomorrow," she whispered.

Kushida steeled herself, she knew where her past self would go after this.

With that, Kushida left. Suddenly, it was just the two of us again. We sat in the complete silence of the library.

"Well, that was painful. The study group's already over," I said.

"Looks that way."

The quiet grew almost oppressive.

"I suppose you were the only one who understood me, Ayanokouji- kun. You're at least somewhat better than those worthless idiots. If there's some subject you're struggling with, I could teach you."

"I'll pass, thank you."

"Are you going back to your dorm?" she asked.

"I'm going to find Sudou and the others and have a chat with them."

"There's nothing to be gained from associating with people who'll likely be expelled soon."

"I just want to talk to my friends. Do you have a problem with that?"

"How incredibly selfish. You call them your friends, yet you simply stand by and watch as they're expelled. From my point of view, you're cruel."

"Look who's talking now," Ibuki said with a snort.

"She doesn't look in the mirror herself," said Ishizaki a little annoyed.

Well, I certainly couldn't deny that. Horikita wasn't wrong. In the end, studying was just the test of an individual's self-motivation.

"I won't deny what you've said. I can also understand why you'd call someone like Sudou stupid. However, Horikita, shouldn't you try to understand Sudou's situation? If he only hoped to become a professional basketball player, then choosing this school in the first place makes little sense. Don't you think you'd understand him better if you considered his reasons for enrolling?"

"Not interested." Horikita dismissed me and returned to her textbook. Alone.

Many sighed in annoyance at Horikita's attitude, even though Horikita's words weren't directed at them but they still felt irritated at the girl's words. Students outside of Class C are wondering how Horikita became the class leader if her personality is like that.

---

I left the library and chased after Kushida. I wanted to thank for her working so hard to get the study group together, and to apologize. Besides, I wanted to do everything possible to get along with such a cute girl, you know?

"He he, looks like you have a rival, Honami-chan," said Amikura trying to tease Ichinose, but she was taken aback when she saw the worried expression Ichinose made, "Honami-chan, what's wrong?"

The rest of Ichinose's friends turned to look at her after hearing Amikura's surprised voice, and like Amikura, they were surprised to see Ichinose's unusually tense and anxious expression.

"What's wrong, Ichinose?" Shibata asked when he saw Ichinose's troubled expression, he felt something was wrong.

Ichinose doesn't answer and remains silent, but inside she's really panicking right now. She could feel that Kushida's dark secret would be exposed soon and that was what she was worried about right now.

Kushida's influence is very wide, reaching almost all the students in their year, even almost all of Ichinose's class girls are close friends with Kushida. If they knew Kushida's real personality, then the chaos her class would be in would be huge.

Ichinose doesn't want chaos in her class and at the same time she is also friends with Kushida, even they were close before knowing each other's past. Now that Ichinose knows Kushida's past, rather than stay away, Ichinose feels closer to Kushida. Kushida and the rest of Ayanokouji's group have become Ichinose's irreplaceable best friends.

But that's where Ichinose's dilemma comes in.

On the one hand she didn't want her class to get into chaos but on the other hand she also couldn't leave Kushida who was being the target of hostility by other students. The thought of who to choose sends Ichinose into a panic, should she choose her classmate? Or she chose Kushida who had become her best friend.

Ichinose's head hurts thinking about it all, she doesn't know which one to choose, her mind is clouded. She had to choose but she couldn't decide, adding to her despair.

But it was in the midst of that despair that Ichinose heard a voice.

"Hey Ichinose, what's wrong with you?"

It was Kanzaki's voice.

Ichinose turned towards Kanzaki with widened eyes, after hearing Kanzaki's words, Ichinose was as if splashed with cold water and dispelled her clouded mind. All her worries miraculously disappeared.

It wasn't Kanzaki's words that woke Ichinose, but Kanzaki himself. When she heard Kanzaki's voice, she suddenly remembered her own words not long ago.

When the day comes where I have to choose between you and my group, I will choose you without hesitation. I will never leave my classmates.

Those were her words to Kanzaki just before this event started.

When Ichinose recalled those words, she immediately threw herself onto the back of the chair and covered her face with her hands. She realized her stupidity and felt annoyed about it.

"You idiot, Honamiiii! Why did you forget such an important thing! Uuuhh… why do I still not have a firm resolve."

Ichinose shouted that in her mind. But now she was thinking clearly and could remember important things clearly, including the contents of Ayanokouji's message.

[To Honami and Hiyori, just focus on your class in case your class gets impacted.]

That was the contents of the message Ayanokouji had sent during their discussion just a moment ago. Remembering the message relieved Ichinose a bit, she then took a deep breath and exhaled to calm herself down. After a while, she then turned to her friends.

"Everyone, sorry to worry you, I'm fine now," Ichinose said with a smile.

Even though Ichinose said that, her friends naturally found it hard to believe it. They had seen how troubled the expression Ichinose had made just now, they were worried that Ichinose would push herself and bear what she was worried about alone.

"Are you really all right, Honami-chan? You looked really agitated just now," Amikura said worriedly.

"Actually there was something I was worried about before, but now it's okay. I'm serious," Ichinose reassured her friends, then she looked at her friends seriously, "More importantly now, I have something I want to tell you all."

All of Ichinose's friends are surprised by their class leader's quick change in expression, but they hold back from asking because of the serious look Ichinose makes. So they decided to listen to Ichinose in silence.

"I know I'm asking too much of you, but can you trust me this time?" Ichinose asked.

Amikura and the others looked at each other at Ichinose's question, they didn't know why but to them it was a ridiculous question. Without being asked, they already know what they have to do.

"Of course we believe you."

"You're asking a ridiculous question, Honami-chan."

"That's out of the question."

Everyone answered honestly that they trusted Ichinose, there was no doubting her. Such was the influence that Ichinose Honami had over the past year, the bonds she had formed with her classmates were already very tight.

"Thank you, everyone," Ichinose said gratefully.

"So, what's the matter, Ichinose?" asked Kanzaki who was curious about what Ichinose would say.

Ichinose took in a deep breath before letting it out, she then looked at her friends seriously.

"This may just be my guess and I have no proof, but from looking at the scene that's showing on the screen right now, I can tell that we're about to see something very shocking not only for us, but for everyone in this room."

"…"

They all fell silent, trying to process what they had just heard. But still they do not understand the point.

"What do you mean, Ichinose?" Kanzaki asked after a moment of silence.

"Like I said, we're going to see something very soon that will completely shock everyone in this room. For that I want us all to stay calm when it happens, stay quiet and don't let the shock touch us."

"Why?" Shibata asked confused.

"Because I don't want our class to get involved in it. I'm afraid that if we get involved it will cause chaos in our class," says Ichinose. Because almost all of Ichinose's classmates were good friends with Kushida, she was afraid that if one of them got angry at Kushida it would drag the other classmate into that anger, which would throw the class into chaos. Ichinose completely avoided that.

"Can you promise me not to get involved?" Ichinose asked all of her friends.

Ichinose might be overthinking all of this, maybe no one would get mad when they found out Kushida's true personality, maybe some wouldn't care, maybe some would naturally think Kushida had a hidden personality, and maybe there wouldn't be as much chaos as she was worried about.

But she still said it all to her friends solely just to get rid of the anxiety she had.

"Okay, if that's what you want, Honami-chan," said Amikura who was the first to come forward.

"Well, I don't know what happened but alright," Shibata said, nodding.

Gradually all of Ichinose's friends agree to her request, even though they don't know what happened but they decide to believe her.

Ichinose's expression brightened, she was greatly relieved that her friends agreed to her words.

"Thank you, everyone," she said gratefully.

"But Ichinose, can you explain what you're saying later?" Kanzaki asked, even though he agreed with Ichinose's request, he at least wanted an explanation about all of this.

Ichinose paused for a moment before nodding, "Yes, I will explain to all of you after this session ends."

"It's decided then," said Kanzaki nodding in satisfaction, "Let's continue watching, I'm curious about this event that you are worried about."

Everyone agreed with Kanzaki and turned their attention back to the screen.

Ichinose breathed a sigh of relief at having completed her task, then she too looked back at the screen.

Her part done, now she entrusted Kushida's affairs to Ayanokouji and the others.

Whipping out my cell phone, I pulled up Kushida's contact information. Although it was my second time calling, I felt nervous contacting her. The phone rang twice, then three times. However, she didn't pick up. Did she not notice me calling? Or was she refusing to answer it?

People who knew Kushida were confused by this, because usually Kushida always answered her incoming phone calls. If only once is natural, but up to three times? It's confusing.

They thought that something happened to Kushida.

Kushida wasn't around campus, so I continued to search for her. When I got inside the school, I glimpsed someone who looked like Kushida from behind. It was already around six PM, so the only people here should've been involved in club activities. Well, this was Kushida we were talking about. She was probably waiting for one of her good friends to finish club stuff.

"Ku ku, this is going to be interesting," Ryuuen said with a grin.

"Seems like you know what's going to happen Ryuuen-kun" Shiina said, she wouldn't be surprised if Ryuuen found out Kushida's true personality.

"Seeing how Suzune was so hard on Kikyou, I already know what she will do next," Ryuuen replied before looking at Shiina, "And what about you? It seems you also know something about her."

"Yes, I know all about her," said Shiina with a smile.

"Ho, interesting. How did you find out about it? I don't think Kikyou is someone who will just tell her secret," Ryuuen said with interest.

"Well, about that… Kiyotaka-kun did this and that until I finally figured it all out," Shiina said hesitantly because she didn't know how to put it, but technically it was Ayanokouji's actions that let Shiina know about Kushida's past.

"I see," Ryuuen said. He didn't ask further because he was sure that if Ayanokouji acted then getting Kushida to tell her about her past would be easy.

"What are you two talking about?" Asked Ibuki who was confused by the conversation between Ryuuen and Shiina.

"Ku ku if you're curious, just wait a little longer."

"You're playing secrets again," Ibuki said annoyed, she then turned to Shiina as another alternative, only to be disappointed.

"Sorry, Ibuki-san. This time I'm on Ryuuen-kun's side," Shiina said apologetically.

"Hah! Tch, what is all this about," said Ibuki dissatisfied.

"Why are you in such a rush, Ibuki? Relax, we'll find out eventually too, right?" said Ishizaki casually.

"Ku ku, looks like Ishizaki has a better level of patience than you," Ryuuen said amusedly to Ibuki.

Ibuki sent a glare at Ishizaki for supporting Ryueen, but she didn't say anything because what Ishizaki said was true.

She didn't need to rush.

I decided to keep up the chase. If she were busy, I'd talk to her again later. Bearing that in mind, I pressed on. I took out a pair of indoor shoes from the cubicles in the hallway, but didn't see Kushida. Had I lost her? I thought I had, until I heard the faint clack of shoes.

I followed her up the stairs to the second floor. The sound of footsteps continued up to the third floor. The next level after that was the roof, wasn't it? Students were free to use the roof during lunchtime, but it should've been locked after class. While I thought it strange, I went up the stairs, trying to hide my presence as best I could in case she was meeting with someone. Then, I stopped partway.

Someone was up there.

"W-What is this? Why do I suddenly have a bad feeling?" thought Matsushita nervously. She felt the situation on the screen getting more and more tense.

Not only Matsushita, some students also felt that 'something' was about to happen.

Sakayanagi straightened her body and watched the screen intently, her current gut feeling was that something shocking was about to happen, and it was centered on the girl Ayanokouji was currently following.

"Now then, show me what you're holding right now, Kushida Kikyou."

I gently leaned against the handrail and peeked through a crack in the rooftop door. Through the opening, I glimpsed Kushida. No one else was with her. Was she waiting for someone?

A rendezvous at such a secluded place… Could she possibly be waiting for her boyfriend? If that were the case, I could end up cornered on all sides. While I agonized over how to sneak away, Kushida slowly set her bag down on the ground.

"H-Her boyfriend? T-That's impossible, right?" Hondou stammered. As Kushida's admirer, the news must have shocked her greatly. He wished it wasn't true.

And then…

"Ahhh, so annoying!"

"….Eh?"

A surprised voice could be heard within the room.

Her voice was so low that it didn't sound at all like Kushida.

"She's seriously annoying! God, how irritating. It'd be better if she just died…"

"…"

Nobody spoke. The room was engulfed in an eerie silence, only the sound of irregular breathing could be heard.

She grumbled to herself, as if chanting the words to some kind of spell or curse.

"Ugh, I hate stuck-up, snobby girls who think they're so cute. Why is she such a harpy? A rotten girl like her couldn't possibly tutor me."

"What…!"

A low mutter sounded out of nowhere.

Was Kushida annoyed with…Horikita?

Ichinose glanced at her friends and what she was afraid of happened.

They are all in shock.

Most of the girls in her class stared at the screen with widened and shocked eyes, they covered their mouths in disbelief at what they were seeing.

But even so, they remained silent. It seems they are still holding true to the promise they made with Ichinose.

"Ah, she's the worst! She's just the worst, the worst, the worst! Horikita, you're so annoying! You're so damn annoying!"

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!"

Ike shouted with all his might, he stood up while looking at the screen with widened eyes. Hondou and the others also followed Ike, as people admired Kushida as the perfect girl, seeing this fact shocked them greatly.

After hearing Ike and his friend's screams, everyone who was shocked by the scene on the screen came out of their stillness. They couldn't believe that the girl they called Angel who always helped people in need was now cursing and using harsh words, no longer that gentle smile and cute voice, only a cold and harsh voice could be heard.

"T-This is impossible."

"It's a dream, right?"

"Yes, this must be a dream. There's no way Kushida-san would say that."

"But this is from Ayanokouji's perspective, there's no way this is a dream."

"Hah! So you believe that it's really Kushida-san!"

"Then how do you go about explaining the events on the screen!"

"That…"

"Everything I broadcast is reality, not contrived."

"…"

Eve's voice echoed in the room, silenced everyone. But that only lasted for a moment as the uproar was even bigger than before, for they knew what they saw was the truth.

"Fu fu, it seems that people who are called angels also have darkness in their hearts."

Sakayanagi thought that with a big smile while looking at the noisy Ike and his friends. She had actually suspected Kushida for a long time, even though Kushida's reputation was very clean from the eyes of others, she didn't trust Kushida pure and benevolent at all, there must be a dark spot she was hiding.

And Sakayanagi was satisfied that her hunch proved to be right.

The commotion was still going on, even worse than before. Students from other classes got involved and they started insulting Kushida. If this continues, things will get even more chaotic.

And while the commotion was going on…

"YOSHAAAAAAAAAA!"

Sudou's excited shout echoed through the room, everyone fell silent and simultaneously turned to the boy.

"Ha ha ha! I won the bet, you guys should give me 10.000 points each," said a laughing Sudou pointing at Hasebe and Miyake.

"It's not fair Kenchin. You had the advantage from the start," Hasebe said sullenly.

"That's right, you already know Ike's personality well Ken," said a similarly irritated Miyake.

Apparently, the three of them had a bet on who would scream first after knowing Kushida's true personality, and for those who answered correctly the loser had to pay 10,000 points to the winner.

Anyway, Sudou immediately chose Ike right after the betting was held, which left Hasebe choosing Hondou and Miyake choosing Miyamoto.

Hasebe and Miyake looked at Sudou with annoyed looks, while Sudou himself just laughed triumphantly.

"Ha ha ha! Victory is victory, and I will do anything to achieve that victory, no matter what the cost," said Sudou with a grin.

"Hey, those are my words," Ayanokouji thought while frowning.

"You're just rambling, and don't use Kiyopon's words. It doesn't suit you," Hasebe demanded.

"I didn't expect you all to take this opportunity to make such a pointless bet," Horikita said with a sigh.

"Indeed, if you have free time like that, it's better to use it for something useful than wasting points," said Yukimura, shaking his head.

"Hah! Let's just say you're jealous that I got points, Keisei," said Sudou with a grin.

"Whatever, I don't care," said Yukimura.

"Ha ha ha." Kushida couldn't help but chuckle at her friends' behavior.

While Sudou and the others were having such a conversation, the other students watched them with confused and disbelieving looks.

Many questions crossed their minds, but above all there was one thing that made them confused.

Why are Sudou and the others acting like nothing important happened?

They had absolutely no idea why Sudou and the others were acting casual like that when a shocking secret was revealed.

"H-Hey, Ken…" Ike tried to call out to Sudou amidst his confusion.

"Hn, what?" Sudou asked with raised eyebrows.

"Why… why are you acting casual like that? Don't you know what's going on!?" Ike asked unexpectedly.

"What is going on…?" Sudou frowned thoughtfully, before long he understood what Ike meant, "You mean the Kikyou who went berserk earlier? What's wrong with that?"

"K-Kikyou!?" said Hondou in surprise when Sudou called Kushida by her first name, but he quickly shook his head to go to more important matters, "Of course something went wrong, Kushida-chan was raging and angry, you know!?"

"Suzune insulted her, of course she'd be mad," said Sudou as if that was the most obvious thing in the world.

"But this is Kushida-chan we're talking about," Miyamoto said adamantly, he couldn't understand why Sudou couldn't understand what they were saying.

Before Sudou could reply to Ike's words, Karuizawa let out a loud exasperated sigh, cutting Sudou off.

"How pathetic," Karuizawa said sharply.

"What!?" said Miyamoto in surprise.

"I said you all are really pathetic," Karuizawa said even louder, her words aimed not only at Ike and his friends but at everyone else, "What do you think Kikyou is? Angel? Saint? No, she's just a normal human. Just because you've never seen her angry doesn't mean she can't be angry. You better get out of your delusions and come back to reality."

Many flinched at Karuizawa's words, because they always saw Kushida's cheerful and gentle side in everyone making them forget that Kushida was also a human being, she could get angry and she could also hate people who insulted her.

"That…"

Despite being told the exact truth, Ike and his friends still tried to deny it. Their trust and admiration for Kushida was already very high.

But they were suddenly interrupted by someone.

"Everything Kei said is true," said Kushida who had been silent.

Everyone looked at Kushida in surprise. They were surprised to hear Kushida's tone, it was just… flat. They usually heard Kushida's voice full of joy and cuteness, but they couldn't hear that voice now.

They didn't know, but the Ayanokouji group members knew that this was Kushida's voice when she wasn't in her fake charm mode, which meant this was Kushida's real voice.

"K-Kushida-chan?" said Hondou suddenly nervously as Kushida started to speak.

Kushida ignored him and turned her attention to everyone "I'm no different from you all. I can feel angry, I can feel annoyed, I can feel disgusted, and I can also hate other people."

Kushida gave Horikita a quick glance as she said 'hate', a feeling she once had for Horikita. But that is just the past now. She then turned her attention back to everyone.

"I always restrain myself from getting angry at the people who irritate me and keep it in my heart, I then vent my anger, my true feelings in a quiet place like you can see on the screen. The reason I did that was because I didn't want others to see a bad side of me."

Kushida finished her words and then she fell silent, not wanting to speak anymore. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself who was still trembling, saying those words took all the strength and courage she had. She needs rest.

No one spoke anymore after hearing Kushida's words, they could no longer deny because Kushida herself had admitted it.

It took a moment for them to accept reality before they looked back at the screen.

I felt like I'd glimpsed another side of this gentle girl, the most popular person in our class. She probably didn't want anyone else to see this darker side. A voice in my head whispered that it was dangerous to stay here.

However, an odd question arose. Why had she agreed to work with me if she felt such hatred toward Horikita? Kushida should have understood Horikita's personality and behavior perfectly well by now. She could have refused to help, or just left the study group to Horikita, or otherwise washed her hands of involvement.

Why force herself into the study group? Did she want to get along with Horikita? Or did she want to become closer to another participant?

"Now that's a very interesting question. Why did she force herself to get close to Horikita-san if she didn't like her? Is she really serious about making friends with everyone in this school including people she doesn't like? Fu fu, one more unsolved mystery regarding Kushida Kikyou."

Sakayanagi couldn't help thinking about it all about Kushida's actions, even though the girl had confessed to her actions there was still some mystery left about her.

None of it made sense. I couldn't explain her reasoning.

No. She may have shown signs of this from the very beginning. I hadn't really thought about it before, but considering the state she was in right now, I had a hunch. Perhaps, Kushida and Horikita were…

"Perhaps they knew each other before? But Horikita-san previously said she didn't know Kushida-san, so I don't think that's possible. But… my gut tells me that they have a related history."

That was something Matsushita could deduce from looking at Kushida and Horikita's relationship so far. Even though they don't know each other, there is something that makes them both related.

Matsushita then turned slightly to Satou, she was sure that her friend knew about the relationship between Horikita and Kushida. But for now she refrained from asking further, maybe the video can explain directly.

Matsushita could also see Shinohara who had been pensive since earlier after the truth about Kushida was revealed, it seemed like it took Shinohara some time to calm down after accepting the fact.

"Something to take care of later," thought Matsushita with a sigh.

Just like Shinohara, she was also initially shocked to see another side of Kushida, but luckily she had more self-control so it didn't affect her too much.

At any rate, I needed to get away from there. Kushida probably didn't want anyone else to hear her diatribe. Still hiding, I quickly tried to leave.

"Yes, get out of there quickly," a worried girl whispered.

Some people also felt nervous seeing the scene on the screen, they could feel that if Ayanokouji was found out it could end badly.

Thump!

"Oh no…"

The people breathed in when they heard that sound, they could feel the tension Ayanokouji was feeling on the screen as if they had experienced the situation themselves.

I'd kicked the door much louder than I'd anticipated. It'd been unexpectedly loud, really. Kushida tensed and stopped breathing. I'd instantly become her enemy. Turning, Kushida set her sights on me. I'd been seen.

After a brief silence, Kushida coldly asked, "What…are you…doing here?"

Many winced at Kushida's cold tone, they still couldn't get used to her real voice.

"I got a little lost. Sorry. My bad, my bad. I'll be going now."

Kushida looked straight at me, clearly seeing through my obvious lie. I'd never seen such an intense gaze before.

Inogashira and a few other girls looked at the screen sadly, they didn't like the way Kushida looked on the screen. The Kushida they know is a cheerful and gentle girl, their best friend who always helps and makes their days cheerful.

But the Kushida they saw now was the complete opposite. Her gaze was sharp, her tone cold, her stature also rugged. It was hard for them to accept the reality of Kushida's cold personality.

They wanted to talk to Kushida but they didn't know what to say to her, so all they could do now was stare sadly at Kushida's appearance on the screen.

Meanwhile Kushida was looking at Inogashira and the others with an uncomfortable expression, she could see their sad expressions from where she was sitting. Despite her personal desires, Kushida felt comfortable being their friend. It would be a pity for her if she cut off her friendship with them.

"Should I talk to them later?" thought Kushida. But for now there was no decision she could make, she had to see how the situation went first.

"Did you hear?" she asked.

"Would you believe me if I said I didn't?" I replied.

"I see…"

Kushida briskly walked down the stairs. She placed her left forearm against the base of my throat, and pushed me up against the wall. Her tone of voice, her actions, everything about her was completely unlike the Kushida I knew. This new Kushida wore a terrifying expression, one that I could almost compare to Horikita's.

"Hey, hey, hey," said Hashimoto when he saw the tense scene on the screen.

"She even got to that," Kamuro said raising an eyebrow at Kushida's actions.

"Her deepest secret is known by others, of course she would act like that," said Sakayanagi amused by Kamuro's astonishment, then she narrowed her eyes without anyone knowing.

"That girl doesn't know who she's fighting," thought Sakayanagi.

"If you tell anyone what you just heard, I won't forgive you."

Her words were ice, and I didn't think they were an idle threat.

"And if I did tell?"

"In that case, I would tell everyone that you raped me," she said.

"Hah!?"

Many were shocked by what they heard and wondered how Kushida had managed to make such false accusations.

"That's a false charge, you know."

"That's okay. It wouldn't be false."

Her words had heft and power, leaving me unable to reply. As she spoke, Kushida grabbed my right wrist and slowly opened my hand. She pushed my palm up against her soft breast.

"WHA-!"

Everyone was flabbergasted and widened their eyes, they stared at the screen with their mouths agape at the scene on the screen, the strongest reaction was made by the boys.

How could it not be, holding a girl's breasts is the dream of almost every boy, especially when those breasts are as big as Kushida's. Boys will do anything to get that chance.

And now that out of nowhere Ayanokouji had gotten the chance to experience that divine sensation, they couldn't help but envy the boy. They had even forgotten the fact that Ayanokouji was currently being threatened.

"What are you doing?" I asked. I hurriedly tried to pull away, but she pushed on the back of my hand.

"Hwawawawawa… K-K-K-Kikyo-chan, w-w-what are you doing!?" said Ichinose with a red face to Kushida after breaking out of her frozen state.

Kushida didn't answer. She was currently covering her face with both her hands in embarrassment, her face red to her ears.

"I totally forgot about thaaaaaat!" Kushida shouted inside. If only she had been aware from the start, maybe she could have put up a pretty good mental defense.

Now look at her, shutting herself up in immense shame.

"Kyo-chan... I understand you want to keep your secret, but even to the point of sacrificing your own body... I didn't expect you to be that brave," said Hasebe in an even tone.

"I-I-I'm… sorry…" Kushida said haltingly and then she looked down in embarrassment, there was nothing she could say with her current state.

Meanwhile, Ayanokouji just watched the whole scene in silence, he knew better not to say anything for now. While he was looking around, he was suddenly elbowed by Karuizawa from the side.

"Ouch! What was that for?" asked the surprised Ayanokouji while holding the part that Karuizawa elbowed.

"You enjoyed it, didn't you?" Karuizawa asked sharply.

"Hah?" said Ayanokouji in confusion before he understood what Karuizawa meant, "No, it was just an instant. So I didn't get to experience it."

"So you do want to enjoy it," Karuizawa said narrowing her eyes.

"Oh shit…"

Ayanokouji belatedly realized he had said the wrong words, just before he tried to clear up the misunderstanding, Karuizawa had already turned her attention away from him.

"Jeez, this is so troublesome. I'm technically the victim here, right? So why am I the one feeling guilty here," thought Ayanokouji as he sighed before looking back at the screen.

"Your fingerprints are on my clothes. That's evidence of my claim. I'm being serious. Understand?"

"I see, she used Ayanokouji-kun's fingerprints as proof of her claim. A good plan, that way the secret will stay safe. But…"

Sakayanagi thought that with a small smile.

"How long will the plan last?"

"I understand. I really do. So let go of my hand."

"I'm going to leave this uniform in my room without washing it. If you betray me, I'll hand it over to the police."

"Kikyou-san, now you're not threatening him anymore, are you?" asked Horikita to confirm.

"Of course not, I don't need that anymore. After all, Kiyotaka-kun already has a plan to anticipate my threat, right?" said Kushida as she turned to Ayanokouji.

"You're overestimating me. It's possible that I don't have any plans," answered Ayanokouji. He then earned doubtful looks from Horikita and Kushida, even Horikita narrowed her eyes as if she was annoyed.

"Am I wrong?" Kushida asked tilting her head.

"…You are right. I already have some plans," said Ayanokouji changing his mind, he then turned his attention away from the two girls.

"I know that," said Kushida nodding with a satisfied smile.

"No, actually I don't have any plans," thought Ayanokouji. But since the girls were satisfied, then he didn't need to tell the truth.

I glared at Kushida for a while as she kept my hand pressed against her.

"It's a promise," she said.

Kushida stepped away from me. Even though this was the first time I had felt a girl's breasts, I found I couldn't remember the sensation.

Ayanokouji could feel several gazes directed at him, but he ignored them.

"Hey, Kushida. Which is the real you?"

"That's none of your business."

"I see. Well, I was wondering something. If you hate Horikita, then you don't need to involve yourself with her, right?"

Several people straightened their bodies to listen carefully. It was a mystery that they had not known until now, and now that it has been discovered that Kushida hates Horikita, adding more depth to the mystery.

I knew she probably wouldn't like that question, but I was curious about her motivation.

"Is it bad to want everyone to like you? Do you understand how difficult it is to accomplish that? You can't know, can you?" she asked.

"Well, I don't have that many friends, so I guess not."

Ever since the first day of school, Kushida had made an effort to exchange contact information with, invite out, and, of course, talk with the pessimistic Horikita. One could easily imagine how difficult and time- consuming that would be.

"At least on the surface, I wanted to appear to get along with Horikita."

"But the stress of that just kept building, huh?"

"Yeah. That's what I want out of life, though. That way, my existence has meaning." She answered without hesitation. Kushida had a singular way of thinking. Her own internal rules demanded she get close to Horikita.

"'My existence has meaning'? What does it mean?" thought Matsushita frowning.

Not only Matsushita, several people also wondered what Kushida meant.

"Let me tell you something, while I have the chance. I absolutely despise gloomy, ordinary guys like you."

"A gloomy man, huh… how wrong the old me was," Kushida thought thoughtfully.

Well, naturally she would think so since Ayanokouji hid himself so well. After learning about Ayanokouji's true self, 'an ordinary gloomy man' was the most depressing definition she had ever come up with.

The fantasy of a cute Kushida that I'd carried until now had been shattered, but I wasn't actually that shocked. Most people possessed both a public face and a private, inner self, after all. However, I felt like Kushida was both telling the truth and lying right now.

"So she's telling the truth while mixing lies in it," thought Kanzaki while narrowing his eyes.

Kushida had entered Kanzaki's list of people to be very wary of now, not only was she friends with almost all of his classmates, Kushida also had a very wide social network. The information she had about the other classes must be overwhelming by now, including his own.

Now he understands why Ichinose insisted that her friends not get involved in the mess, if she didn't give a warning then Class B might be in a gloomy state right now.

"I'm just speculating, but did you and Horikita know each other before this year? Maybe you both attended the same school in the past?"

"Why did he say that?" Asked Shinohara who had been silent, she seemed to have recovered from her shock. Some people also felt confused by Ayanokouji's words.

"I don't know," said Satou shaking her head. Even though she already knew that Horikita and Kushida were in middle school together, Ayanokouji on screen shouldn't have known about that.

"As far as I remember there wasn't any hint of that on the screen, but why did Ayanokouji-kun ask about it on the screen? Is there anything not shown to us? But if the two of them did go to the same school, then that could explain why Kushida-san was obsessed with Horikita-san. Although right now I don't know what Kushida-san's obsession is," thought Matsushita placing a hand on her chin in thought. She still needed some clues to conclude her thoughts.

The instant I said it, Kushida shuddered in response.

"What the… I don't know what you mean. Did Horikita-san say something about me?" she snapped.

"No, I had the impression that this was the first time you'd met. But something seemed strange."

"Strange?"

I recalled the first time Kushida had spoken to me.

"You learned my name only when I first introduced myself, right?"

"So what?" Kushida responded flatly.

"Well, where did you learn Horikita's name? Back then, she hadn't introduced herself to anyone yet. The only person who knew was Sudou, but I doubt you'd met him by then."

Class C students got enlightened after hearing Ayanokouji's words.

"That's right, Horikita-san didn't introduce herself in class back then, so we didn't know her name at the time," said Azuma reminiscing.

"So that means that it's like what Ayanokouji-kun said, then Kushida-san already knew Horikita-san before entering this school," Ichihasi concluded, Azuma nodded.

"Then Kushida-san's actions of always approaching Horikita-san makes sense now, it's just that we don't know the real reason yet," said Ishikura.

In other words, Kushida wouldn't have had the chance to learn Horikita's name.

"You got close to me so you could spy on her, right?"

"Just shut up. Hearing you talk irritates me, Ayanokouji-kun. I only want to know one thing. Do you swear you'll never tell anyone what you learned here today?"

"I swear. Even if I did, it's not like anyone would believe me. Right?"

The entire class trusted and loved Kushida. The difference between us was like night and day.

"So that's why he never said anything about this incident. Well, considering that everyone's trust in Kushida-san is so great, there's no way Ayanokouji-kun would reveal that. He will just kill himself," thought Matsushita.

"Okay. I believe you, Ayanokouji-kun." Kushida closed her eyes and slowly exhaled. "Horikita-san is rather unusual, isn't she?"

"Yes, I'd say she's really unusual."

"Other people don't influence her, or rather, she keeps her distance from everyone else. She's the complete opposite of me."

Kushida and Horikita really were polar opposites.

"You know, Ayanokouji-kun, you're the only one that Horikita-san opens up to."

"Hmm?" Horikita raised her eyebrows at those words.

"Wait a minute. She doesn't open up to me. Absolutely not."

"Even so, she seems to trust you more than anyone else. Out of all the people I've ever met, Horikita seems the most wary of others and yet also the most self-confident. She certainly wouldn't trust anyone worthless, even if they were unbelievably kind."

Horikita wasn't sure how she felt in response to those words, indeed as Kushida said, she openly said whatever was on her mind to Ayanokouji.

To her, Ayanokouji was just a student who sat next to her in class, a classmate. But as time goes by, the more she gets to know the student named Ayanokouji Kiyotaka and learns about his prowess, her dependence on that boy gets bigger and bigger so that without realizing it a desire is born within her, a desire for herself to be acknowledged by Ayanokouji.

Just like her desire to get recognition from her older brother, Horikita Manabu.

Even after learning that Ayanokouji was only using her as a tool, that desire did not fade.

It's possible… what Kushida said might come true.

Horikita trusts Ayanokouji more than anyone else in this school.

"So, you think she has good instincts for people?"

"That's why I said I believed you. Ayanokouji-kun, you're fundamentally indifferent to other people, aren't you?"

I didn't remember doing anything that would make her think so, but Kushida seemed confident in her assessment.

"It's not an out-of-place judgment. Back on the bus, you didn't show any interest in giving up your seat to the elderly woman."

Ah, so that's what she was talking about. She'd picked up on what was happening that first day. She had understood that I'd no intention of giving up my seat.

"If you believe I'm telling the truth, then you won't spread pointless rumors," I said.

"If you were really so confident, you wouldn't have felt up my breasts."

"Well, that's… I was really flustered. I panicked for a second."

Her stern expression melted into one of impatience.

"So, Kushida, would I be right to think of you as the kind of girl who lets guys touch her breasts?"

Miyake and Sudou burst out laughing after hearing that.

"Damn Kiyotaka, how could you ask that," said Sudou with a laugh.

"Ha ha ha, I admire your courage, Kiyotaka. I can't possibly ask that casually-gahhh!"

While Miyake was laughing while saying that, he was suddenly punched in the ribs by an angry Hasebe.

"Because there's no need to question it," Hasebe said sharply, then she glared at Ayanokouji.

Ayanokouji tried hard not to stare at the angry Hasebe, but then he was pinched by someone, making him flinch.

"Ouch! Not again…" groaned Ayanokouji, he already received a warning blow from Karuizawa, he didn't want to add another punishment.

"I'm sorry, I suddenly felt irritated," said Kushida apologetically and smiled cutely, but Ayanokouji knew that it was just a formality.

Ayanokouji could only sigh, "Should I change seats later?"

She kicked my thigh as hard she could. Panicking, I grabbed the railing.

"Hey, watch it! I could've fallen and gotten seriously hurt!"

"I kicked you because you said something stupid!" Kushida snapped, her face flushed from anger.

"Hey, wait a minute."

She still looked furious. Kushida tromped back up the stairs, grabbed her bag, then returned wearing a huge grin.

"Let's head back together," she said brightly.

Everyone was caught off guard by how quickly Kushida's personality changed. For a moment she had a cold demeanor and a moment later she was cheerful again.

"Fu fu, so this is what allowed her to persist in hiding her true personality for so long. Her acting skills are extraordinary," said Sakayanagi.

"It's like we see two different people," said Hashimoto as he leaned back tiredly, he still didn't expect that Kushida had such a personality and he didn't even notice it at all. Something he regretted.

"Could it be that she has multiple personalities?" Kamuro asked.

"No," Sakayanagi immediately retorted, "She doesn't have that kind of personality. She just has a very strong will and her acting skills are one of the ways to achieve her dreams."

"How did you know about that?" Kamuro asked unsure.

"Fu fu, intuition?" said Sakayanagi with amusement. Kamuro decided not to say anything.

"Oh. Sure."

Her attitude had drastically changed, like something out of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. It was so drastic that I wondered whether I'd had a bad dream. She was her usual sunny self once more. I couldn't tell which Kushida was the real one.

Kushida let out a long breath while resting her body on the chair, she was very relieved that not much bad happened aside from people's stares after they found out her secret. Thanks for the efforts of Sudou and the others.

Of course the one who earned her gratitude the most was Ayanokouji, because he was the one who thought up a plan so that the chaos that would ensue was minimized as much as possible.

Ayanokouji's plan was to turn chaos into confusion. The first step was to have the members of Ayanokouji's group act as normal as possible especially for those in important positions like Karuizawa, Hirata, Horikita, Sudou and the others.

Seeing the important people act normally as if nothing had happened, those in the midst of the chaos would definitely feel confused. And that's where the final execution started just like Karuizawa did. As a result, Ayanokouji's plan went smoothly and a big mess was avoided.

Kushida couldn't think of what would have happened to her if Ayanokouji wasn't around, the obvious answer was that her life would be a mess. Once again, her admiration for Ayanokouji increased seeing how extraordinary the person sitting next to her was right now.

But… is it just admiration that has increased?

Why did her heart beat faster every time she thought of that boy?

---

I couldn't get to sleep, so I got up and left. I bought some juice from the lobby's vending machine and headed back for the elevator.

"Hmm?"

I could see that the elevator had stopped on the seventh floor. Curious, I decided to check out the CCTV, which showed what was happening inside the elevator car. I saw Horikita, still dressed in her school uniform.

Horikita heaved a tired sigh, she still clearly remembered the scene that was about to be shown now. Her weak and helpless side will be shown to everyone.

"Where are you going Suzune?" Sudou asked curiously.

"Meeting my brother," Horikita answered curtly.

All members of Ayanokouji's group tensed up hearing Horikita's words, they all already know how bad Horikita's relationship with her brother is. Even though she has reconciled now but the Horikita on-screen hasn't.

"How is the result?" Hirata asked slightly worried.

"As you can guess… bad," Horikita said gloomily, but it was only for a moment, "Well, it doesn't matter anymore now that it's over."

Hirata smiled hearing that, "I understand."

"Well, I don't really need to hide, but…"

Seeing her might be awkward right now, so I hid behind the vending machine. Horikita arrived at the first floor.

Looking wary of her surroundings, she exited the building. After she'd vanished into the night, I decided to follow after her. However, I instinctively hid again after I turned the corner.

"Gosh, he's also good at following someone. I wonder if he's aware that I've been following him?"

Hashimoto thought that when he saw Ayanokouji's prowess at tailing someone.

Horikita stopped in her tracks. I sensed another person was with her.

The students tilted their heads in confusion, wondering who Horikita was meeting with in such a deserted place.

"Suzune. I didn't think you'd follow me this far," he said.

"Who…?"

"That voice…"

The students were divided into two groups. Some immediately recognize the voice on the screen, some don't.

Had she left in the dead of night to rendezvous with some guy?

"Hmph. I'm far different from the useless girl you once knew, niisan. I came here to catch you."

Horikita cringed at her own words on screen, because those words made her cover herself up from everyone, except for her brother.

"Catch me, hmm?"

Niisan? In the dark, I couldn't see the person she was talking to. Was she meeting her older brother?

"I heard you were placed in Class D. I suppose nothing has really changed in the last three years. You've always been fixated on following me, and as a result you don't notice your own flaws. Choosing to come to this school was a mistake."

"That's… You're wrong about that. I'll show you. I'll reach Class A right away, then—"

"It's pointless. You will never reach Class A. In fact, your class will fall apart soon enough. Things at this school aren't as simple as you think."

"I will definitely, definitely reach—"

"I told you, it's pointless. You really are a disobedient little sister."

"…"

Everyone fell silent over the conversation that was going on. If anyone was confused as to why Horikita had previously been silent and pale after seeing her brother during the club exhibition, perhaps this scene was the answer to their confusion.

"Um… is it just me or is Horikita-senpai too cold there?" Shibata said hesitantly.

"Indeed, this is the first time I've seen Horikita-senpai being cold towards someone, let alone his own sister," said Hamaguchi.

"This explains how bad their relationship is," Kanzaki said while crossing his arms.

"Actually their relationship has been bad for a long time," Ichinose said sadly, drawing the attention of her friends.

"It seems you know about their relationship, Honami-chan?" said Amikura guessing.

"Yes, Suzune-san had told me about her relationship with her brother. Actually their bad relationship is the main reason why Suzune-san is in class D," said Ichinose surprising her friends.

"How…?" Kobashi asked a little doubtful, since this might be personal.

Ichinose sighed before replying, "Actually Suzune-san doesn't mind me telling others, but it's quite a long story. I think we better see it in person because I'm sure Eve will be airing it."

Her friends nodded and didn't press Ichinose any further, they then turned their attention back to the screen.

Horikita's brother stepped closer to her. From my hiding spot, I could see him plainly.

It was Student Council President Horikita. He displayed no hint of emotion. It was like he was staring at an uninteresting object. He grabbed his younger sister by the wrist—she offered no resistance—and pushed her against the wall.

"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."

Some of the girls closed their eyes or turned their attention away from the screen, they couldn't bear to see that scene, that's not how siblings talk to each other.

Shiina looked at the screen sadly hearing the conversation going on, "There should be a better way of teaching her than acting cold like that."

Shiina didn't really like how Horikita Manabu taught his sister to be aware of her own flaws, there should be nothing better than being cold like that because that kind of attitude kept Horikita Suzune in the dark for so many years.

Shiina then shook her head, "No, I don't have to think about that anymore. That was all in the past and has passed, what's more important now is that Suzune-san has come to her senses and is moving forward."

Shiina smiled at the thought, she felt happy that her friend had come out of the past that had bound her.

He moved forward, as if about to act. The situation looked fraught with danger. Resigned to facing Horikita's anger, I leapt out from my hiding space and went after her brother.

Before he knew I was there, I grabbed his right arm, which he was using to pin his sister.

Almost everyone already knew that Ayanokouji was a fast runner, so they weren't too surprised by that.

What they were concerned about now was what Horikita Manabu would do to his sister if Ayanokouji didn't hold his hand.

"What? You…" He stared at his arm and slowly turned to me with a sharp gleam in his eye.

"A-Ayanokouji-kun?!" Horikita cried.

"You were about to throw your sister to the ground, weren't you? You do realize the floor here is concrete, right? You might be siblings, but you should know the difference between right and wrong."

Everyone was shocked by what they heard, they couldn't believe that Horikita Manabu would do that to his sister, even Mashima was surprised to hear that.

"Hey, hey, hey, that could be fatal," said Hashimoto in surprise.

"Is he really serious about doing that?" Kamuro said not expecting.

Sakayanagi remained silent and stared at the screen thinking, she wasn't particularly close to the former student council president Horikita so she couldn't tell if Horikita Manabu was being serious or not. But if he was serious… then Sakayanagi was really curious about what had caused the rift in their relationship.

"Eavesdropping is not an admirable quality," he said.

"Fine. Then let go."

"That's my line."

We glared at each other in complete silence.

"O-Oh… this is so stressful. This isn't going to end well, is it?" said Ike nervously and stuttering, it seemed that the shock of knowing Kushida's personality still remained inside him.

"Y-Yeah, the former student council president was really scary there," said Hondou who was also tense.

"Stop it, Ayanokouji-kun," said Horikita, her voice strained. I'd never heard her voice like that before.

"This is also the first time I've seen Horikita-san so weak like that, what a contrast when compared to her attitude in class. How bad is their relationship? And how much influence did the former student council president have in his sister's life?" thought Matsushita. She couldn't help but think of that when she saw the extremely fractious brother-sister relationship on the screen.

Reluctantly, I released her brother. Instantly, he tried to backhand me in the face. I instinctively took a step back to avoid it. For such a lightly built guy, he was a nasty attacker. He then aimed a sharp kick at my unguarded spot.

"Watch it!"

He had enough power to knock me out with one blow. Looking slightly confused, he exhaled deeply, extended his right arm, and opened his hand.

If I grabbed his hand, he'd probably throw me to the ground. Instead, I slapped his hand away.

"…"

The room fell silent after seeing the fight, even though it was short but they could tell that the fight was quite fierce. Ordinary people or those who don't follow martial arts will definitely faint if they get hit by one hit from Manabu, and Ayanokouji avoids them all.

"Okaaaaay… first he was great in academics, then he had fast running, and now he's quite strong in fighting. What else did I miss?" said Komiya while counting on his fingers.

"You missed one," said Ishizaki.

"What is it?"

"He is the king."

"…"

It took Komiya and his friends a few moments to digest Ishizaki's words, and when they did, they dropped their heads and the atmosphere turned gloomy.

"Shit, I forgot about that. Ugh… this destroys my pride…" Komiya said grimacing.

"Life isn't fair!" said Kondou whining.

Shiina watched the scene in confusion, she didn't understand what the boys was talking about at all. Out of curiosity she decided to ask.

"King? What does that mean, Ishizaki-kun?" Shiina asked while tilting her head.

Right after that, Ishizaki and the others immediately froze, they then looked at each other stiffly.

Of the many rules that Ryuuen made in governing his class, there is one implicit rule that is agreed upon by the boys in their class, namely... stay away from negative things from Shiina Hiyori or their class angels.

Shiina was even more confused to see Ishizaki and his friends not answering her question, instead they looked nervous to her now.

"Ignore those idiots Hiyori," Ryuuen said suddenly, "They're just having stupid talk."

Hearing Ryuuen say that, Shiina nodded in understanding and decided not to ask any further questions. Whatever they were talking about, it was possible that she would not understand.

Ishizaki and the others breathed a sigh of relief seeing Shiina didn't ask anymore, they silently thanked Ryuuen.

Again, they didn't want to contaminate such a sacred being.

But…

Ishizaki and his friends don't know…

…that Shiina had seen first hand the reason why Ayanokouji was called the 'King', and that memory was stored in the deepest part of her memory.

But for now, the girl didn't notice.

"Good reflexes. I didn't imagine you could evade all of my blows so quickly. Also, you seemed to understand quite well what I was trying to do. Have you been taught?"

After the attacks stopped, the questions began.

"Yes, I was taught piano and calligraphy. Also, when I was in elementary school, I won a national music competition," I said.

"BULLSHIT!"

Students who like fighting and have martial arts skills simultaneously expressed their disapproval, it was clear what Ayanokouji said was the complete opposite of martial arts.

"Are you seriously saying that?" Yukimura asked with raised eyebrows, even he who was not good at fighting could tell that what Ayanokouji said was nonsense.

"Obviously not, I just wanted to show him that I didn't have anything to say," explained Ayanokouji.

"You're in Class D, too, aren't you? What a unique boy, Suzune."

After he let go of his younger sister, he turned to face me.

"No. Unlike Horikita, I'm pretty incompetent."

"Suzune, is this boy your friend? I'm honestly surprised."

"He's…not my friend. Just my classmate." Horikita faced her brother fully, as if denying him.

"You continue to confuse independence with solitude. And you, Ayanokouji. With you around, things might get interesting."

"Ku ku, so this is where he found out about the monster's whereabouts. You damn former student council president, it wasn't you who found him but he who got close to you," thought Ryuuen while remembering the meeting with Horikita Manabu.

He walked past me and disappeared into the night. So, that was the distinguished student council president. His presence explained some of Horikita's weird behavior.

"I'm going to drag myself up to Class A even if it kills me," she said.

With her brother gone, the night was silent once more. Horikita sat up against the wall, her head hanging low. Maybe I'd made things worse by getting involved. I was about to return to the dorms when Horikita called out to me.

"Did you hear everything? Or was it just a coincidence?"

"Oh. Uh, it was half coincidence, I'd say. I saw you when I bought some juice from the vending machine. I was kind of curious, so I followed you. However, I really didn't mean to meddle in your business."

Horikita fell silent once again.

"Your older brother is really strong. He doesn't lack ferocity."

"He's ranked fifth dan in karate and fourth dan in aikido."

"Wow, that's amazing. He sure is strong," Shibata said in admiration.

"From his fighting style, we can see that he is professional," said Hamaguchi.

Kanzaki agreed with the two of them, Horikita Manabu's fighting style was extraordinary so he wouldn't be surprised if the former student council president was highly skilled in martial arts.

But Kanzaki was focused on more important things.

Horikita Manabu was indeed strong but what was even more surprising was that Ayanokouji Kiyotaka was able to dodge and moreover was able to predict the movements of the former student council president with precision.

Kanzaki peeked at Ayanokouji from the corner of his eye.

"What else are you hiding, Ayanokouji?"

Whew, he was really strong. If I hadn't pulled away, it would've ended badly for me.

"You also practice martial arts, don't you, Ayanokouji-kun? You must hold a dan rank."

"I told you, didn't I? Just piano and tea ceremony."

"You said calligraphy before."

"I…did calligraphy in addition to those, yes."

"You purposefully get lower test scores, and you say that you studied piano and calligraphy. I really don't understand you."

"My scores were a coincidence. I really did do piano, tea ceremony, and calligraphy." If there were a piano here, I could at least have performed "Für Elise."

"Oh, that reminds me. I want to see your piano playing live, Kiyopon," said Hasebe with sparkling eyes.

"Me too!" said Sakura excitedly, as if she really wanted to see Ayanokouji's piano playing.

Ayanokouji was immediately showered with the gazes of the people around him, he could feel that they wanted to see his piano playing too.

"Fine, I'll do it if I get the chance," said Ayanokouji, seeing no harm in playing the piano once in a while.

"You saw a strange side of me."

"On the contrary, I always thought of you as a normal girl. Well, not really."

Horikita glared at me.

"Let's go back. If anyone saw us out here, they'd probably get ideas."

She was certainly right about that. Rumors about a boy and a girl hanging out alone in the dark would be bound to circulate. Not to mention the fact that our relationship seemed to be intensifying.

Horikita got up slowly and walked toward the dorm.

"Hey. Were you really okay with how the study group went?" I asked.

If I didn't broach the subject now, I'd likely never get the chance again.

Some people straightened their bodies especially those with sharp minds. From the direction of the talk, they thought that this would be an important talk.

"Was Ayanokouji-kun the one who changed Horikita-san's thinking?" thought Matsushita curiously. She thought there was no way Horikita would change her mind to teach Sudou and the others by herself, there must have been a trigger. And she had a hunch that the mystery would soon be answered.

"Why are you asking me? I was the one who proposed holding the study group in the first place. Besides, I got the feeling that you considered it a hassle. Am I wrong?"

"It just left a bad taste in my mouth. Look, I think things are going to get worse with the others."

"I don't care. I'm used to it. Besides, Hirata-kun picked up most of the failing students. He knows how to study, he seems to get along with others, and, unlike me, he'll be a good tutor. At the very least, they should all pass. It was pointless to try teaching the failing students myself. We would go through this same scenario for every test until graduation. It would be pointless to try making up for their failure every single time."

"Sudou and the others don't much like Hirata. I doubt they'll participate in his study group."

"That's their decision, which has nothing to do with me. Besides, if they're facing expulsion, they shouldn't grumble about trivial nonsense. If they don't get closer to Hirata-kun, then they'll be expelled. Of course, my goal is to have Class D reach Class A status. However, that's for my own sake and no one else's. I don't care about anyone else. Really, if we dump the failures on this next midterm, then the better students will be left. That's what I need, correct? In that case, attaining a higher rank will be simple. Everything will work out perfectly."

She wasn't wrong about that. Our conversation continued; Horikita was strangely talkative tonight.

Some people also thought so, from the first time the video was aired until now, this was the first time they had seen Horikita speak at length.

"Could it be the effect after meeting her brother?" said Maezono trying to guess.

"I think that makes sense," Sonoda said.

"Horikita, isn't that way of thinking flawed?"

Everyone was staring at the screen excitedly because finally someone said those words to Horikita.

They were already waiting for someone who could challenge the girl's thinking.

"Flawed? What's flawed? You're not going to give me some gibberish about how there's no future for someone who would abandon her classmates, are you?

"Relax. I understand you well enough to know that you don't really understand me."

"Then what is it? There's no strategic advantage to helping failures."

"There are probably very few advantages, certainly. However, it does help prevent a setback."

"Demerit?"

Do you really think that the school hasn't considered this? They've deducted points for students arriving late or playing around during class time. Let's say these students are expelled because no one helped them. How many points do you think they'll deduct from us then?"

"That's—" she began.

"Of course, we don't have any proof that's how it works. However, isn't it possible? 100 points? 1,000 points? They might even deduct 10,000 or 100,000 points. If that happens, it'll be very difficult for you to reach Class A."

"We've gone down to zero points because of our infractions. We can't go any lower. If we're currently at zero, don't you think it's best to eliminate the dead weight? That would be the same as taking no damage."

"There's no guarantee that'd be the case. There could be penalties we just don't see yet. Do you really think it's okay to take such a dangerous risk? Well. I'm sure that someone as smart as you must have thought about that already. Otherwise, you would never have suggested creating a study group in the first place. You would've just abandoned the failures from the very beginning."

Everyone listened silently to the argument between Ayanokouji and Horikita which was quite intense.

One wants to expel failure no matter what while the other wants to be careful and avoid any risks that might occur.

Whatever the outcome would be, would determine the fate of Sudou and the others at this school.

I was starting to sound worked up, or perhaps I was actually feeling worked up. Maybe because I'd started to, rather selfishly, consider her a friend. I didn't want Horikita to come to regret her decision.

Horikita glanced at Ayanokouji briefly, unsure how she felt at those words. Whether the Ayanokouji on screen seriously considered her a friend or not, she wasn't so sure because the boy had a huge contradiction inside of him.

But even so, she was still grateful that Ayanokouji had awakened her and in exchange she would help Ayanokouji to destroy the contradiction that existed within the boy.

"Even if there are potential unknown negatives, it's better for the future of our class to abandon the failing students. Wouldn't you regret not abandoning them when we do finally increase our points? Right now, it's a risk that we should take."

"Do you really think so?" I asked.

"Yes. Really. I'm at a complete loss as to why you're so desperate to save them."

As Horikita was about to board the elevator, I grabbed her wrist.

"What? Do you have a rebuttal?" she said. "The problem's bigger than the two of us. In the end, the school has all the answers. All we can do is argue back and forth. I'm free to interpret the situation as I see fit, and you may do the same. That's all there is to it, right?"

"You're quite talkative. I never thought you'd be so loquacious."

"What… That's just because you were being insistent."

If she were acting like her normal self, there was no way she would have allowed me to keep talking. Normally, stopping her in this way would earn me a sharp strike. However, her refusal to hit me indicated that Horikita felt the way I did. Of course, she probably didn't even realize it herself.

"I see. No matter how many times Horikita-san says that she will get those people out. Deep inside she also had the same doubts as Ayanokouji-kun. From this I can already conclude that it was indeed Ayanokouji-kun who changed Horikita-san's mind."

Matsushita nodded in satisfaction after making her own conclusion and the answer to her curiosity was answered.

"The day we met, do you remember what happened on the bus?"

Several people tilted their heads in confusion, wondering why Ayanokouji was saying that now.

"You mean when we refused to give up our seats to an elderly woman?"

"Yeah. Back then, I thought about the meaning behind giving up my seat. Should I give it up or not? Which was the correct answer?"

"I already told you my own answer. I thought it'd be meaningless, so I didn't give up my seat. No matter what reward it might bring, there was no real merit. It was a waste of time and effort."

"Merit, huh? I suppose that you think only in terms of gain and loss."

"So that's Horikita's outlook on life. She will only do something if it benefits her and will give up something if it harms her," said Kanzaki while crossing his arms.

"So that means if she keeps Sudou and the others then it's a loss, that's why she wants to expel them?" said Shibata trying to guess, Kanzaki nodded.

"Is it good to have that outlook on life?" Amikura asked frowning.

"Definitely not," Ichinose said shaking her head, "The world is wide so we have to broaden our perspective towards life as well, sometimes there are losses that lead to great gains afterwards."

"That's right," said Kanzaki in agreement with Ichinose's statement.

"Is that bad? People are calculating creatures, for the most part. If you sell goods, you receive money. If you do someone a favor, that debt of gratitude will be repaid. By giving up a seat, you gain the joy of contributing to society. Am I wrong?"

"No, I don't think you're wrong. I think the same thing," I replied.

"So then—"

"If you keep to that belief, you'll need to maintain a broad perspective on life. You're so angry and dissatisfied, you can't see what's in front of you."

"Who do you think you are? Do you even have the ability to find fault with me?"

"I don't know what abilities I have, but I see what you don't. It's the one flaw of the seemingly perfect person known as Horikita Suzune."

Horikita gave an amused snort. It was as if she was saying, "If you think I have a flaw, say it."

"Your flaw is that you think of everyone else as a burden, and so you detach yourself and never let anyone come close. Isn't it possible they placed you in Class D because you consider yourself superior to everyone?"

The students were very satisfied with what they heard, Ayanokouji's words represented them all. Ever since they saw Horikita's terrible attitude on screen, they really wanted to shout at her that it was her attitude that got her handicapped and entered class D.

"It's almost as if you're saying I'm the same as Sudou-kun and his group," she muttered.

"Are you saying that you aren't equal?"

"Yes. It's obvious if you look at our test scores. That's proof enough that they're mere baggage for our class to carry."

"Only if this school focuses on academic ability," snorted Sakayanagi. Even though she has very high academic ability, she never boasts about it. After all, academic ability alone is not enough for someone to be called a genius.

"If we're talking about studying, then Sudou and the others are certainly two or three steps behind you, Horikita. No matter how hard they worked, they likely couldn't overtake you. However, we know that this school doesn't only focus on intelligence. Suppose that the next exam was related to sports. The results would be different then. Am I wrong?"

"That's right. If the exam were sports, Sudou-kun would definitely have the upper hand over Horikita-san," said Nishimura.

"Agreed," said Sonoda nodding. They had seen how outstanding Sudou was during the sports festival, their class would have been devastated by then if Sudou wasn't around.

"That's—"

"You're physically capable. From your swimming, I can tell you're one of the most capable girls in the class. Superior. However, we both know that Sudou's physical abilities far exceed yours. Ike has better communication skills than you. If the test took the form of a discussion, Ike would certainly be useful. Really, you'd most likely bring the class average down. So, does that make you incompetent? No. Every individual has his or her own strengths and weaknesses. That's what it means to be human."

"…"

Everyone fell silent at those words, they were amazed and did not expect that Ayanokouji could say such words, even Ike was flattered to hear that.

"W-Wow, I never knew Ayanokouji-kun had this kind of personality," said Inogashira in admiration. She had always thought that Ayanokouji was a quiet and shy student like herself, but he wasn't.

"Same, maybe because we're in a distant group with him, so we don't know this side of him," Miichan said with the same admiration, she's only talked to Ayanokouji a few times but she knows that Ayanokouji is a great person.

Horikita tried to throw my words back at me, but she looked stuck.

"This is all pure conjecture. It's nothing more than armchair speculation," she said.

"She's still dodging," Kitou said flatly.

"Yeah, but it was just a desperate attempt," said Hashimoto grinning, he already knew who would win this argument.

"Think back on what Chabashira-sensei said. When she called us into the guidance room, she said, 'Who exactly decided that smart people are categorically superior?' From that, we can draw the conclusion that academic ability doesn't solely determine the rankings."

Horikita looked around, as if searching for an escape so she could weasel her way out of the argument. I quickly cut her off before she could get away.

Several people were satisfied to see the desperate Horikita. They had previously been irritated by the girl's behavior and hoped something or someone would teach her a lesson.

And now they are happy because what they were waiting for has happened.

"You said you wouldn't regret abandoning the students who failed, but you would. You would feel a great deal of regret if Sudou and the others are expelled."

Horikita looked into my eyes. She still didn't seem to grasp our current situation. At least, that was the impression I got.

"You're rather talkative today, too. It's odd for someone who likes to avoid trouble to talk so much."

The students were also curious about that, as far as they knew Ayanokouji was someone who wanted to stay out of trouble. But now Ayanokouji is getting himself into trouble and trying to revive Horikita.

What is his goal? Does Ayanokouji want to help Sudou and his friends so they don't get kicked out of school?

Such questions popped up in their heads, but for now they didn't know the answers.

"You're probably right about that."

"It's frustrating, but what you said was basically correct. You've persuaded me; I have to concede that point. However, I still don't understand you. What do you want? What is this school to you? Why did you work so hard to convince me?"

"I see. So that's what you think."

"If someone lacks persuasiveness, he or she won't be able to make others believe in their cunning theories." She clearly wanted to know why I was so desperate to persuade her that Sudou and the others' expulsion was bad. "Cut the crap. I want to know the real reason. Is it for points? To rise up, even by one class level? Or is it to save your friends?"

"Because I want to know what a person with true merit looks like. What is equality?"

The students tilted their heads in confusion, not understanding what Ayanokouji meant.

"Eh? What does it mean?" Mori asked confused.

"I don't know," said Onodera shaking her head.

"Merit, equality…"

"I came to this school to find answers to those questions." The words freely spilled out of me before I could collect my thoughts.

Ayanokouji could feel several people looking at him with curious eyes and expecting him to provide an explanation, but he remained silent. He decided not to answer and left the explanation to himself.

"Could you let me go?" Horikita asked.

"Oh, sorry." I released my grip. She turned around and looked directly at me.

"There's no way that you could fool me into believing you, Ayanokouji-kun," she said.

After she said that, Horikita extended her arm.

"I'll look after Sudou-kun and the others, but for my own sake. I'll make sure that they don't get left behind, but only as a strategic means of securing an advantage for our future. Okay?"

Several people breathed a sigh of relief, feeling pleased by Horikita's change of heart.

"Looks like Ayanokouji saved you this time, Kanji," said Hondou.

"Yeah, I guess so," Ike replied with a small smile.

"Don't worry. I didn't think you'd do it any differently. That's just like you, Horikita."

"We've come to an arrangement, then."

I took Horikita's hand. However, I would soon realize that I'd just made a deal with the devil.

Video ends.

Ayanokouji glanced at Horikita in case the girl would get angry again when he said devil, but lucky for him Horikita just sighed tiredly while leaning her body back in the chair.

Ayanokouji then turned to the other students and noticed that almost all of them were in the same condition as Horikita, it seemed the video this time was quite draining and mentally draining for them, especially when Kushida's true personality was revealed.

"Well, the video this time is quite tense, isn't it?" said Eve, looking like she realized the same thing as Ayanokouji, "For now let's rest a bit until I show the next video."

---

Thanks for reading!

Sorry if there are mistakes in words, repeated words, or language errors during writing.

That's all I have to say, see you in the next chapter.