Chapter 6:
Invitation
THE PRELIMINARY BATTLE for the uninhabited island special exam was heating
up all over the place more and more, day by day. There were now only a few
days left in this preliminary period. The group-building process, which would be
over in about a week's time, had reached its climax, with more than 90 percent
of the school's students now part of groups made up of two or more people,
therefore putting them into cooperative relationships where they were
effectively sharing their lot with another. Students who had invited me to join
them, like Ishizaki and Matsushita, eventually gave up on trying to recruit me as
time went on.
That was perfectly natural though, because the longer they delayed in
forming their own group, the more danger they would be putting themselves in.
I wondered what the remaining students, now less than 10 percent of the
student body, would decide to do by next Friday. Just as I was thinking about
that, I received an e-mail. It was just after nine thirty in the morning on
Saturday now. The sender of the message was none other than Ishizaki, from
Class 2-B.
While I had thought to myself how I had been getting contacted by him a lot
lately, I noticed that the content of his message seemed different than usual. It
seemed like he wanted me to come to the café because Ryuuen was calling for
me. The absence of the words "if possible" in his message seemed to suggest
that this was a mandatory meeting, from the looks of it.
I could refuse of course, but then I supposed that Ishizaki would get the
blame. I had plans to meet up with the Ayanokouji Group today, but fortunately
enough, our meeting time was set for one in the afternoon. So doing something
now shouldn't create a conflict. After I had finished getting ready and left for
Keyaki Mall, fifteen minutes had already passed. Considering that it had only
taken me fifteen minutes to get ready, I figured that I should be able to make it
time to meet with them.
The group-building process was now in its final stages, which meant that
Ryuuen, who had been silent up until this point, was about to make his move.
At this current point in time, Ryuuen had still not yet formed a group with
anyone. It wasn't as though there was no chance that he might try and recruit
me, but in truth, I saw that as highly unlikely. While I kept that line of thinking in
mind, I was curious to see what exactly he was going to talk to me about, aside
from that.
While I was on my way over to Keyaki Mall, I ran into Kanzaki, who seemed to
be on his way back from the convenience store. I saw two 2-liter bottles
peeking out of a plastic bag that he was holding.
"You're heading over to the mall at this hour?" asked Kanzaki.
"There's not going to be any time to take it easy once the island exam starts,
after all," I replied.
I had a little time, so I came to a stop so that we could chat.
"It seems like your class is making a lot of progress in forming groups, but
you're still solo, huh?" he asked.
"Well, unlike the other students, I don't have a lot of friends," I answered.
I had thought I'd try and play things off with a joke, but Kanzaki remained
stone-faced.
"I'm guessing that you are Horikita are essentially the reserve players meant
to substitute in to help the students who are struggling in Class D, right? After
all, exceptional people can get results no matter what group they're in," said
Kanzaki.
I supposed that's the only way that Kanzaki could see it, since he had a much
higher opinion of me now and had been wary of me for a while now.
"I'm guessing that you're taking on a similar role yourself then, Kanzaki, since
you're still alone yourself for the time being," I replied.
Kanzaki, like me, hadn't yet teamed up with anyone, and was still acting on
his own in his class.
"Ayanokouji, Ichinose seems to place a lot of trust in you. Is it really okay for
us to trust you?" he asked.
"If I say that you can trust me, would you?" I asked in return.
"I could consider it, at the very least," he replied.
As the air around the plastic bottles in his bag cooled, water droplets
appeared on the outside of the bottles from condensation. This midsummer
heat, which easily exceeded 30 degrees Celsius, was bearing down on us
without mercy.
"Even though our alliance has been called off, I don't consider Ichinose an
enemy," I replied, telling Kanzaki the truth.
"That statement can mean different things depending on how you interpret
it. Do you think of Class C as your enemy?" he asked.
I had thought that I could deftly fool him, but it seemed like Kanzaki's
wariness was several steps sharper than I had imagined.
"Kanzaki, what is it you want me to say?" I asked in return.
He seemed different from usual now. The vibe I was getting from him now
seemed to suggest that he was in a hurry to do something. If I anticipated
where he was coming from and what it was that he was trying to get out of me,
then I could see what he was aiming for a little bit more.
"Are you trying to get some kind of statement out of me, and planning to
make Ichinose hear it?" I asked.
"…You're a lot sharper than Ichinose thinks… Well, no, you're a sharper guy
than both of us think. Far more. Since the first time we met, I had this strange
feeling that there was something about you I couldn't put my finger on. But
now I can finally see it. You're the one behind Class D's rapid success," said
Kanzaki.
"Who can say?" I replied.
"In that case, I'm going to come out and say it. I want to ask you for your help.
Ichinose trusts you quite a lot. Which is exactly why I want you to tell her that
as she is now, she's not good enough," said Kanzaki.
When he took a step closer to me, closing the distance between us, a drop of
water dripped out of the plastic bag and onto the ground.
"And you think Ichinose will change the way she thinks if I do that?" I asked.
"Yes," he replied.
"Sorry, but I can't help with that. I would like to see how Ichinose handles
things."
"Meaning that you want to see us, your enemies, fall into ruin?" said Kanzaki.
"Well, I guess it's not wrong for you to read into what I said that deeply,
but…" I replied, trailing off.
I thought for a moment. No one knew at this point in time what fate awaited
Ichinose, of course. However, when she did finally plummet to the bottom,
then…
I hesitated for a moment, wondering whether I should tell Kanzaki what I was
thinking, but quickly decided against it. The situation wouldn't improve even if I
did something unnecessary here, which I hadn't taken into account. In fact, it
would probably only lead to the introduction of an unnecessary foreign
contaminant.
"Fundamentally speaking, each person has to do things for the sake of their
own class. Isn't that right?" I told him.
"…Yes, I suppose so. Asking you for help might have been an unfair move on
my part," said Kanzaki, seeming as though he was reflecting on what he had
asked earlier.
I nodded my head in response.
"I had intended to come up with an answer on my own. But I thought that if I
could avoid putting that into action, and if there was an easier option available,
I could have taken that easy way out instead," said Kanzaki, before walking back
to the dormitory.
I'm sure that he was panicking because he didn't actually have any leeway in
his class anymore, but they did also say that a cornered rat will bite a cat. I'm
sure that Kanzaki could also stand in our way as a formidable opponent in the
upcoming special exam.
6.1
I ARRIVED AT THE CAFÉ in the mall a little ahead of the time we were supposed
to meet. While I was finishing up paying for my drink, I saw two guys I'd
normally never expect to see together seated by one another. One of them was
Ryuuen, the very same person who had asked me to come here today. And the
other was…
"You mentioned one more person would be coming. So you were referring to
Ayanokouji then?" said Katsuragi Kouhei, from Class 2-A.
He directed his gaze toward me with a rigid expression on his face. I wouldn't
say that Ryuuen and Katsuragi were necessarily like oil and water, but the two
of them were by no means on good terms with one another.
"What kind of meeting is this supposed to be, anyway?" I asked.
"What, you plannin' on standin' while we talk? Take a seat," said Ryuuen,
with an odd smirk on his face.
I did as Ryuuen had instructed, sitting down in an empty chair. There was a
unique atmosphere in the air here, the likes of which I had never experienced
before.
"I knew there was something different about you, compared to the average
student, but it seems you have even more hidden talents than I imagined,
Ayanokouji. To think you would get a perfect score on the mathematics test,"
marveled Katsuragi, who I hadn't spoken to since we started our second year,
immediately bringing up my math score.
"Ku ku. Come now, Katsuragi, don't admire him too much. That's all ancient
history," said Ryuuen.
"Ancient history? You sure seem relaxed even though there's an unexpectedly
powerful enemy in your midst. Are you that exhilarated by defeating Ichinose
and being promoted to Class B?" said Katsuragi.
"Save it. Ichinose is self-destructing all on her own. She ain't even close to
bein' on my radar," said Ryuuen.
Sure enough, this entirely unexpected pairing was already causing the mood
to sour. Things were looking tense.
"…And? I'd like to know why you called me here," said Katsuragi.
That confirmed Ryuuen was indeed the instigator of this meeting, so I waited
along with Katsuragi for him to speak.
"What're ya rushin' me for? Go on, relax a little," said Ryuuen.
"There's no way I can relax. If people see me with you, that alone will cause
me trouble," said Katsuragi.
He was concerned about being seen by people around us, so it wasn't strange
that he was urging Ryuuen to get to the point. Even though it was the morning
of a day with no classes, there were sure to be more than a few students
watching. If students from our grade level saw us, they wouldn't be able to hide
their shock.
"What is Class A after in the next special exam?" asked Ryuuen.
"What are they after? The same thing that everyone is, surely," said Katsuragi.
"Are you gonna try and grab all the Class Points yourself? Or somethin' else?
That's the question. From what I can tell from OAA, you've mostly been formin'
groups with Class C. But looks like Kitou's on his own. Plus, Ichinose, Shibata,
and Sakayanagi bein' together just smells fishy to me, no matter how ya look at
it. You guys workin' together?" asked Ryuuen.
I had been curious about that too. Aside from the group of three that Ryuuen
had mentioned specifically, Hashimoto and Kamuro from Class A had formed a
group with one of Class C's best and brightest students, Ninomiya. Then, on top
of that, there was the fact that the "One More" card, which Amikura had
originally, was now in the hands of Hashimoto from Class A. I couldn't imagine
that was all mere coincidence.
"You're free to interpret the situation however you wish, but I cannot confirm
anything," said Katsuragi.
"I ain't looking for any of this diplomatic back-and-forth crap. Gimme some
honest answers," said Ryuuen.
"In that case, I'll give you an answer that's easy for you to understand. I do
not intend to tell you a single thing," said Katsuragi, clearly and decisively.
Even though Katsuragi and Sakayanagi had opposed each other, he naturally
demonstrated that there was no way he was going to share confidential
information about his class with Ryuuen, an enemy.
"It is only during the day on which the test begins that you will know how
Sakayanagi intends to fight this battle. No one will know anything of her
strategy until she says something herself. If you really must know, then you just
have to ask her directly," he added.
"Oh, so you don't know simply because she doesn't trust ya, huh?" said
Ryuuen.
"That might be the case," said Katsuragi.
As Ryuuen himself had said, information didn't necessarily trickle down to
Katsuragi. He had mentioned earlier that Katsuragi and Sakayanagi were at
opposing ends, but actually, it was more that Katsuragi was the sole person in
Class A who wasn't part of Sakayanagi's faction. That fact was so well-known
that I didn't even need to bother asking to check.
In any case, this whole conversation so far had been nothing more than the
opening act.
"How the mighty have fallen, eh, Katsuragi? This time last year, you were a
worthy playmate. But now you're just a shadow of your former self. You're the
same as the rest of the garbage. Guess that's just the end of the road for
somebody whose faction lost out, huh?" said Ryuuen.
"If I recall, you got worked over by Ishizaki once yourself," Katsuragi fired
back.
"Come on, don't ya wanna crawl your way back up now too? I mean, that
dude who was holding you back, Totsuka, is gone now, right?" prodded Ryuuen.
Suddenly, Katsuragi slammed his right fist down on the table. Yahiko had
idolized Katsuragi. When Ryuuen mentioned his name, Katsuragi, who had
remained calm up until this point, let his anger show through.
"If your goal was to make me angry, then you've succeeded, Ryuuen.
Satisfied?" asked Katsuragi.
"What? Aw, still can't get those widdle feewings out of your system? I'm
kinda relieved," said Ryuuen.
He clapped his hands together three times, giving Katsuragi a mocking round
of applause. He then continued.
"Don't ya think it'd be an interestin' turn of events if we could get Sakayanagi
expelled in the next special exam?"
"…What?" asked Katsuragi.
"If she's gone, then Class A's gonna be without a leader, obviously. If that
happens, you can get to bein' in charge," said Ryuuen.
"I don't know what it is you're plotting, but that's impossible. Supposing even
if you managed to defeat her on the island somehow, she has ample Private
Points, enough to save herself. And on top of that, if the situation called for it,
she could use her Protection Point anyway," argued Katsuragi.
Getting Sakayanagi expelled would be an extremely arduous task, considering
she had funds and a Protection Point.
"Yeah, it's true that if we're gonna get her kicked out of school, we're gonna
need to hit her at least twice. Well, I'm just kiddin' about the island exam thing,
anyway. That was a joke. Survivin' on the island's gonna be about clawing your
way up on your own power, not knockin' down your enemies," said Ryuuen.
I could he was starting to get closer to the main reason he'd set up this
meeting, little by little.
"The rewards for first through third place would give me enough points to get
within striking distance of Class A, but the rules are a bit tricky. So I thought I'd
do a little something to take care of that beforehand," said Ryuuen.
"And that's why you called Ayanokouji and I here?" asked Katsuragi.
"You got it," said Ryuuen.
Whatever this strategy was, Katsuragi wasn't going to easily agree to go along
with it. Though I was sure he had strong feelings about Sakayanagi, making an
enemy of her would essentially mean defying Class A, which he was still a part
of. Maybe it would have been a different story if this were happening at the
start when Katsuragi and Sakayanagi were vying for supremacy in their class,
but doing something of the sort at this juncture would only hurt him.
"Even so, I'm pretty curious 'bout why Ichinose teamed up with her. Did
Sakayanagi manage to win her over with her smooth talk? Or was teamin' up
with an incompetent loser like Ichinose the only thing Sakayanagi could even
think of? Whaddya think?" asked Ryuuen.
"I have no way of knowing, and it's none of my business. And besides, if
Sakayanagi heard what you just said, I'm sure she'd throw it right back in your
face. There aren't exactly that many people willing to work with you, after all.
You're a problem child," said Katsuragi, responding in a manner that didn't
show antagonism towards Sakayanagi, but was rather like an ally of hers.
"Well, in that case, I'd say that everyone here is a 'problem child,'" said
Ryuuen.
All three of us were simply acting alone right now. None of us had grouped up
with anyone. However, why would Ryuuen deliberately try to aggravate
Katsuragi? No matter how much Ryuuen tried to stoke his feelings of hostility
toward Sakayanagi, it was obvious from the way things were going that
Katsuragi wasn't going to betray her that easily. Or perhaps… Was Ryuuen doing
this to confirm once and for all that Katsuragi wouldn't sell Sakayanagi out? Just
to be sure?
"All right, Katsuragi. Y'know, the way you're so pointlessly honest and upright,
it ain't bad," said Ryuuen.
"You won't get anything from trying to agitate me, Ryuuen," said Katsuragi.
At this point, Ryuuen must have finally decided to get down to business, for
he adjusted himself in his seat, sinking back into his chair.
"One of the most important things in this upcoming special exam is that we
don't get any of our Class Points snatched away by anybody else. I ain't exactly
hopin' to let the first-years or third-years line their pockets with our points.
That'd suck. So, to make sure that doesn't happen, I figure I need to have at
least some allies, right? Like a minimum number of 'em. Because you wouldn't
have enough power to win it all alone, with just what you got in your own
class," said Ryuuen.
He had contacted us to make a proposal at a time when everyone was almost
finished with forming groups.
"If I got roped into a group with some small-timers from my class, well, let's
just say I'd rather fight it out on my own. Be better that way. But if I could pull
in some talent from outside my class, then that's a different story," said
Ryuuen.
He flashed an unsettling smile and stared at Katsuragi.
"I can't believe what I'm hearing. Are you actually saying that you want me to
work with you?" asked Katsuragi.
"Not just you. The guy zonin' out over there while listenin' to our
conversation, too. Ayanokouji," said Ryuuen.
His gaze now fell in my direction.
"…Me too?" I asked.
"I wouldn't call ya out here for no reason, would I?" snapped Ryuuen.
I'd though it unlikely something like this would happen. I had honestly never
expected he'd be asking me to work with him.
"I refuse. Even though Class A would be getting a portion of the rewards as
well, I have no intention of working with someone like you," said Katsuragi.
"Well, now that's quite a hasty decision. You ain't gonna hear everythin' I
have to say?" said Ryuuen.
"There's no need. But… Why did you ask Ayanokouji to come? I'd like to hear
the reason for that," said Katsuragi.
"Whaddya mean, why?" asked Ryuuen.
"It was surprising that he got a perfect score in the mathematics section of
the test on the special exam we were given at the end of April. It is certainly
true that he possesses remarkable ability, I recognize that. However, can you
really say that he's necessary for you to win?" asked Katsuragi.
Although Katsuragi had immediately refused to cooperate with Ryuuen, he
did seem to harbor some doubts about his strategy. It seemed he remained
unconvinced about its efficacy, considering that he had formulated something
with me in mind.
"What, you're thinkin' that I came up with some kinda half-baked plan or
somethin'?" asked Ryuuen.
"Yes, I do. By bringing Ayanokouji into this, that means that you split the Class
Point rewards three ways. If you're going to invite me—someone from Class A
—anyway, you could say it would be a wiser course of action for you to include
Kitou in the group. If it is absolutely necessary for you to include people from
three different classes, Kanzaki from Class C is still on his own. I would say that
he takes priority over Ayanokouji, at the very least," said Katsuragi.
He proposed suitable candidates for Ryuuen to consider, almost as though he
were an advisor.
"I guess someone who doesn't know wouldn't understand. Figures. But I'm
positive I made the right choice. Ain't that right, Ayanokouji?" said Ryuuen.
"I don't know what you mean." I shrugged my shoulders to express that I
didn't understand the reason why I had been invited here, echoing Katsuragi's
sentiment.
"Dude, come on. Your acting sucks. Knock it off already. You're the one who
beat me down and shut me up before, after all," said Ryuuen, without any care
for what was convenient for me in this situation.
Although what he'd just said could have been taken as a joke, Katsuragi
wasn't going to stop with such a simple conclusion.
"He shut you up? …Is that really true?" he asked, turning to me and then back
to Ryuuen, looking to confirm what the truth of the matter was.
"Yeah man, I got my ass beat pretty bad. Even decided to quit school
altogether back then, thanks to that," said Ryuuen.
Now that Katsuragi had heard that much, he was probably starting to connect
the dots in his mind, linking this to other things he knew about. If he connected
what he just heard to the fact that Ryuuen had disappeared from the stage for a
time, then it would be easy for him to imagine that it was true.
"Admit it, Ayanokouji. Even if you keep tryin' to hide it from Katsuragi, I'm just
gonna keep on talkin' about it anyway," said Ryuuen.
It was almost as though he were trying to threaten me by spilling all this
unnecessary information right now.
"If I admit to it, do you think I'll cooperate with you?" I asked.
"Well, I guess it wouldn't be that easy. Like with Katsuragi over here," said
Ryuuen.
Katsuragi, after listening to Ryuuen and I go back and forth, let out a sigh.
"I'm still not convinced by what you've just said. I can't believe that
Ayanokouji defeated you. Besides, I already said that if you have three classes
work together, even if you get first place, that still means we'll only be getting a
hundred Class Points each. You won't be able to close the gap between you and
your current target, Class A, at all," said Katsuragi.
Katsuragi had strong doubts about the significance of this particular group's
existence.
"Oh yeah, dude, I totally forgot about that. Man, you are definitely qualified
to be an adviser," said Ryuuen with a grin, shifting his gaze back towards
Katsuragi.
Even in this situation, Ryuuen wasn't letting up. He continued to act like a fool
and messed around.
"I see… Well, I was wondering why you would put forward such an inefficient
proposal, suggesting three classes team up, and make such an outlandish claim
about you being defeated by Ayanokouji. But it seems you never intended to
have a serious discussion in the first place," said Katsuragi.
He rose from his seat, clearly intending to leave now that he'd realized
Ryuuen had been fooling around during this entire conversation.
"A serious discussion, eh? Come on, you knew that it was going to be this way
from the beginning. But you still came. What, did they ask you to spy on me for
Class A or somethin'?" asked Ryuuen.
Katsuragi had responded to Ryuuen's invitation, which he could have ignored.
Surely, there must have been a reason why he did that.
"You're a dead man, and you're lookin' for a chance to come back to life. Ain't
that right?" said Ryuuen.
Totsuka Yahiko, someone who was very loyal to Katsuragi, had been expelled
thanks to Sakayanagi. Ryuuen was trying to confirm whether or not Katsuragi
had truly forgiven her for what happened.
"Whether I am or I'm not, that has absolutely nothing to do with you," said
Katsuragi.
"In any case, you did come all the way here. Listen to everythin' I've got to
say," said Ryuuen.
"No matter what you say, I am not going to work with you in any way, shape,
or form. It is true that I'm in a somewhat contentious relationship with
Sakayanagi, but I do not wish to cause any trouble for my classmates. There is
no way I could do something like that," said Katsuragi.
Ryuuen started applauding him once again, amused at what he had heard. It
looked like he wasn't doing it to mock him, but rather like he had been waiting
for Katsuragi to say something like that.
"You don't want to cause trouble for your class, eh? Did you forget about the
fact that since the island exam last year, you Class A folks have been rather
industriously sendin' over large sums of points my way every month, as part of
our contract?" said Ryuuen.
Katsuragi, still standing, directed his gaze back towards Ryuuen.
"It's a fair contract. We received 200 points from your class. Class A is merely
paying back our loan, nothing more. Everything I have done has been to help
Class A establish a commanding lead. It was useful, to that end," said Katsuragi.
"Yeah, sure, that's true. If you're only lookin' at the numbers, that is. But
aren't the folks in your class takin' some psychological damage every month?
I'm sure they're askin' themselves, 'Why do we have to share our Private
Points?' Right?" said Ryuuen.
People are surprisingly greedy creatures. Even when things went exactly in
accordance with how we'd planned they would, we would start to feel
dissatisfied. Month after month, Ryuuen continued to bleed them dry,
squeezing a number of points equal to 20,000 yen per person from their class.
Even though there was one person gone from Class A now, that still meant a
total of, essentially, 780,000 yen for the entire class.
That meant that an equivalent of nine point thirty-six million yen per year was
going straight into Ryuuen's pockets. If that amount had been going to
someone Class A was friendly with, that would've been better. But I imagined it
didn't feel good at all to be financially supporting an enemy leader who stood in
opposition to Class A. In addition, the person who signed the contract was not
Sakayanagi, the leader of the class, but Katsuragi, who had retreated into the
shadows.
"Guessin' you must be feelin' pretty uncomfortable. Having that debt loomin'
over ya, and not bein' able to get your revenge," said Ryuuen.
"So… So what of it?" Katsuragi shouted back, once again rising to anger.
He shot Ryuuen a look like he was about to throttle him. Ryuuen looked into
Katsuragi's eyes, and after seeming like he had become sure of something, he
spoke up once more.
"Come to Class B, Katsuragi."
Ryuuen made a rather bold invitation. Katsuragi must have paused to think,
because he suddenly stopped for a moment, seeming as though he'd nearly
forgotten how angry he felt.
"What a farce. You think I'm going to go to Class B?" said Katsuragi.
"I'll give you the cash you need, of course," said Ryuuen.
"Even if you have the number of points needed for such a thing, why on earth
should I go to Class B? Do you think I would willingly throw away my status of
being in Class A?" said Katsuragi.
"I'm gonna overthrow Sakayanagi in the not-too-distant future. When I do,
her class is gonna fall. Meaning that bein' in the current Class A is gonna be
worthless. Right?" said Ryuuen.
If Sakayanagi, the leader of the class, were gone, then it was certainly true
that it'd be more difficult for her class to keep fighting on the front lines.
"How many points do you have on you?" asked Ryuuen.
"…About one point eight million," said Katsuragi.
"Hot damn, that's quite a lot of points you've got there. Well, even if you're
dead and decomposing, I guess you are still from Class A, huh?" said Ryuuen.
Even still, what Katsuragi had on hand was still a far cry from twenty million.
Even with the money that he had deposited into his account every month by
the school, and the money that he was getting from Class A, Ryuuen's account
could only be growing by a small amount— just 800,000 per month. If Katsuragi
were to ask Ryuuen if he had, say, ten million points on him, I'm sure that
would put this discussion in a precarious state.
Ryuuen, knowing that he would most likely get rebuffed otherwise, took out a
sheet of paper and placed it on the table.
"You remember seein' this? It's the contract you signed last year," said
Ryuuen.
"…Yes, I do."
"After negotiatin' with Sakayanagi, I've decided to release ya from the
contract for five million," said Ryuuen.
Although that was a substantial number of points, if you simply calculated the
amount he would be paid until graduation with the contract in place, that
would come out to around ten million points. On top of that, the psychological
burden of having to continuously hand points over to Ryuuen would be no
more. No matter how you considered it, Sakayanagi's proposal benefited
Ryuuen.
Of course, if Sakayanagi saw that Ryuuen was willing to call off the contract
for a large number of Private Points all at once, she could probably predict what
Ryuuen was going to do with those points. Considering what this upcoming test
was about, those points would be essential to forming the best groups or for
buying up the most powerful cards. However, even though Sakayanagi knew
the risks, you might say she had just agreed to a proposal that would give
Ryuuen an overwhelming edge.
Still, if I were in Sakayanagi's position, I would have agreed to Ryuuen's
proposal too.
"Did you not tell her that you'd be using these points to take me out of Class
A?" asked Katsuragi.
"Do you really think that she would've accepted my offer if I had told her?"
said Ryuuen.
"…Well, considering who Sakayanagi is, she most likely would, yes," said
Katsuragi.
He recognized that there was no way that Sakayanagi would reject a proposal
that could only benefit her.
"You're never gonna see a chance like this come knockin' again, Katsuragi,"
said Ryuuen.
This was the story of how the contract that had bound Katsuragi had been
rendered null and avoid, and how that money was in turn used to buy
Katsuragi. Meaning, in other words, that Ryuuen had paid a considerable sum of
money, twenty million, to buy the person named Katsuragi Kouhei. This also
meant that Katsuragi would be allowed to confront Sakayanagi openly now.
"Why… Why would you go this far for someone like me?" asked Katsuragi.
"Ku ku. Wow, you've got a pretty low opinion of yourself, eh, Katsuragi? Well,
it's definitely not a small price tag on you, that's for sure," said Ryuuen.
In the end, all Ryuuen wanted to do was defeat Class A. Supposing even if he
were to defeat Sakayanagi and get her expelled, if Katsuragi remained in Class
A, that wouldn't be a favorable turn of events for Ryuuen. If Katsuragi, someone
who strongly prioritized defense, resumed command as leader of the class, then
there was no getting around the fact that Class A would transform into a nearimpenetrable fortress.
However, if Katsuragi were taken out of the picture first, and then Sakayanagi
was defeated afterward, Class A would collapse all at once. That was probably
why Ryuuen was willing to spare no expense to make sure that happened.
Ryuuen must have also fully appreciated Katsuragi's prominent level of ability
as an individual. His overall ability was quite high in OAA, and if Katsuragi were
to join Class B right now, he'd be the best in their class.
"There's the five million for nullifyin' the contract, plus what you have on
hand. The remainder of the points we need to bring ya over has already been
collected from the rest of the class. I've forced our folks into poverty to bring ya
over to our side," said Ryuuen.
If thirty-nine people saved up their points, just between May and July alone,
they would accumulate nearly six point five million Private Points. After that, all
you would need to do is gather the remainder, which would be less than
200,000 per person. Of course, Class B's funds would be temporarily depleted,
but it wasn't a high price to pay at all if you could manage to snatch away one
of the top-ranked students.
Ryuuen took out another slip of paper: a contract that he had prepared ahead
of time. On that paper were lines detailing an arrangement that Ryuuen would
use the money provided for Katsuragi to be transferred over to Class B.
"Hurry up and sign it. There are several conditions for using the twenty million
to have someone transfer classes, y'know. Nobody can force a particular person
to change classes or anythin'. The person has to declare that they're changin'
classes voluntarily and using their own funds," said Ryuuen.
The contract was meant to prevent Katsuragi from just taking the points and
running after he was given the large sum, or from using it for other purposes.
Well, if Katsuragi did take the points and spent that large sum on whatever he
wanted, I'm sure that the school would suspect him of fraud. In other words,
the purpose of this contract was not to prevent Katsuragi from doing something
dishonest. It was a contract meant to prevent him for changing his mind.
"You seem serious about this," said Katsuragi.
"Hey, good news for you, eh, Katsuragi? It's precisely because you've been on
your own until today that I was willin' to invite you," said Ryuuen.
Ryuuen was saying that Katsuragi had grouped up with someone, then they
wouldn't be having this conversation.
"Just accept this as your fate," said Ryuuen.
After standing for a while in complete silence, Katsuragi sat back down in his
chair, almost as though he had resigned himself to this turn of events. Ryuuen
had splendidly managed to draw out Katsuragi's desire for revenge, which he
had kept hidden deep down, and successfully managed to bring Katsuragi over
to his team. Now, Katsuragi had been brought under Ryuuen's banner. One
thing for sure was that this was most definitely a big plus for Ryuuen's class. The
gap between his class and Class A was definitely closing. Katsuragi slowly signed
the contract.
"I don't mind that you're bringing me into your class, but what is you want,
exactly? You don't mind if I give you my honest opinion on matters?" said
Katsuragi.
"Do whatever you want. I'm sure your hardheaded opinions could be useful
once in a while, I guess," said Ryuuen, after he had received the signed contract
back from Katsuragi.
And so, a precedent was set. An individual had moved from one class to
another, something which had never happened in this school before. And
what's more, this person wasn't transferring into Class A; they were going to
Class B. You could say that the fact that these two things overlapped in this case
was the result of coincidence. Ryuuen had the kind of strength where he could
gather up the required number of Private Points simply by commanding his
classmates, since he had total control over them. Then there was the fact that
the person he was inviting, Katsuragi, had been isolated in Class A, was feeling
dissatisfied with the current leader, and was harboring a desire for revenge.
If there was any cause for concern for them, it would be the fact that that
everyone in Class B would need to fight for dear life in the upcoming island
exam. Only a limited few Class B students could afford to pay the penalty.
"By the way, Ayanokouji, what are you doin'?" asked Ryuuen suspiciously,
watching me pour some water into the remaining one-fifth of my coffee that
was still in my cup.
"Huh?" I asked in return. "Oh, well, I was just wondering what the coffee
would taste like if I diluted it by about three or four times the amount."
After I honestly answered his question, Ryuuen and Katsuragi looked even
more perplexed than before.
"…You're a strange one, Ayanokouji," said Katsuragi.
A slightly harsh comment. He sounded somewhat creeped out.
"So what are you planning to do with Ayanokouji then? You asked him to take
part in this discussion too, after all. If you include a student from Class D in the
group, that means we'll be splitting the reward two ways," said Katsuragi.
"No one said anythin' 'bout inviting him into a group," said Ryuuen.
"In that case, what are you hoping to get from him?" asked Katsuragi.
"The Trials and Tribulations card he got," said Ryuuen, mentioning the name
of the card that I had received. He turned to me. "Sell it to me."
I had been wondering what he needed my help with. So that was what this
was about.
"Considering that you just paid a lot of points to bring Katsuragi into your
class, I'm guessing your funds must be pretty low right now. Can you get
enough points to pay for it?" I asked.
"I can manage to pull together 'bout 500,000 or so. That should be enough,
right?" said Ryuuen.
This certainly seemed like my only chance to get rid of the Trials and
Tribulations card. It wasn't the most profitable transaction by any stretch, but
at the very least, I could manage to get some points for Kei.
"I have one condition. Have the student in your class with the Half Off card
trade it for the Free Ride card that one of the students in my class has. If you
accept that condition, then I'm willing to sell it to you," I answered.
Even if Kei couldn't manage to get into a group of six people on the island,
and even if she were hit with a penalty, she should be able to save herself and
pay out the one million points if she used the Half Off card. Being able to ensure
her safety was a critical point.
"Ku ku, all right, it's settled then. Half Off card, eh? Well, that's just perfect.
Ain't it, Katsuragi?" said Ryuuen.
"I won't have many points on hand, anyway. There's no point in me hanging
on to the Half Off card myself," said Katsuragi.
From the sound of things, Katsuragi had been given the Half Off card. If
Ryuuen got first place while holding onto the Trials and Tribulations card, he
could get 450 Class Points all in one go. The 1,000 Class Point mark was in sight
for Class B.
6.2
IT WAS NOW July sixteenth. The time that we had been given to create groups
was soon going to run out. While I was getting ready for the day that morning, I
received a phone call. It was from Ishizaki.
"Yo, Ayanokouji. Morning, dude," said Ishizaki.
"It's pretty unusual for me to call get an actual phone call from you," I replied.
"Hey, uh, you know how we're almost outta time to make groups? I wanted
to chat with you a bit about that," said Ishizaki.
"Is it about Nishino? It seems like she still hasn't partnered up with anyone
since yesterday," I answered.
I hadn't checked in the OAA app this morning yet though, so I supposed it was
possible that the situation might have changed.
"Oh, we couldn't find anybody to partner up with her in our own class in the
end. So, we finally went to Ichinose for help. So, we've got Tsube from Class C
paired up with Nishino," said Ishizaki.
Tsube Hitomi from Class 2-C, eh? She was an exceptionally capable student
with ratings of B or better in both academic and physical ability. She'd be a
good asset.
"Glad to hear it," I replied.
"Yeah dude. Now almost everybody is in a group, with at least two or more
people, but, uh…" said Ishizaki trailing off.
There was a student from Class B who still hadn't joined a group.
"I'm guessing this is about Ibuki," I said in reply.
"Yeah. She's still on her own. I was wonderin', do you got anybody who'd
partner up with her?" said Ishizaki.
"It is risky to try and tackle this exam by yourself. I can understand that you
feel like you need to do something about this," I told him.
I could tell from how Ishizaki sounded over the phone that he had tried and
failed to convince her to partner up with someone, multiple times.
"Hold on a second. I might have an idea," I added.
"Seriously? Anyway, sorry for buggin' ya about this so early, dude," said
Ishizaki.
I told Ishizaki that I'd call him back later and I hung up. Then I decided to get
in touch with someone that I thought might partner up with Ibuki. Fortunately,
that person hadn't left the dormitory yet, so we decided to meet up in the
lobby. After I had taken the elevator down and got to the lobby, I noticed that
Horikita arrived shortly afterward, getting off the next one that came down.
Horikita was one of the few students who hadn't shown any sign of trying to
team up with anyone yet. She was the person I had arranged to meet.
"What are you planning on doing about your group?" I asked.
"It's too late for anything now. I'm not going to do anything. I don't have any
intention of trying to make one now. Given that the maximum number of
people who can be in a group is six, it's not a bad idea to try and go it alone,"
said Horikita.
"I understand that you're doing this so that you can play things by ear and
adapt to any situation that might come up, but in the unlikely event that you
get sick or hurt, you'll be disqualified. You'll get expelled since you can't pay the
hefty penalty fine," I told her.
I knew that I really didn't need to come out and warn her about all of that,
but still…
"I think that it's necessary to be prepared to take on that level of risk. Isn't
that the same reason you're not currently grouped up with anyone either?" said
Horikita.
"Even so, the risks I'm taking on are different than yours," I told her.
"What's the difference?" she asked.
"You fell ill during the island exam last year," I told her.
"I can't believe you're bringing up something that happened a year ago.
Everyone gets sick sometimes," argued Horikita.
"That's true. But you were sick in bed with a fever for a while in the winter
too. That's twice in a year," I replied.
"Okay, but even though you just so happened to never miss any days last
year, how can you know for sure you won't get sick?" she argued.
"When it comes to the issue of taking care of myself, I'm confident I can
handle myself better than you," I told her.
When I presented the fact that I had perfect attendance, Horikita could only
agree.
"All right. Yes, it's true that when it comes to self-management, you are
better than me. I admit it. But even if that's something you're arguing is a cause
for concern, I—"
Horikita looked me in the eye and calmed down her tone, which had gotten
somewhat heated.
"If you understand, then that's good. I had no intention of objecting to your
plan from the start anyway," I said, cutting her off.
You had to make sure that you were taking care of yourself. As long as she
was well aware of that, then that was fine.
"But still, there's no changing the fact that it is dangerous to act alone," I
added.
"I know," she replied.
"There are only three people in our class who haven't joined a group yet: you,
me, and Kouenji. Everyone else is in a group of at least two people. If possible,
you should form a group of two to give yourself some insurance," I told her.
"As you said, the only other people in our class aside from me are you and
Kouenji. Which means that there's no way I can form a group," she argued.
"Only if you're trying to partner with us, people from your class," I answered.
"Are there any girls left who haven't formed a group?" she asked.
"There's one I can think of," I answered.
"And who is that?" asked Horikita in return.
"Ibuki, from Class 2-B. Have you not been looking at OAA?" I asked.
"Come to think of it, the last time I checked, she was still alone, I suppose,"
said Horikita.
"Ishizaki called me. He sounded pretty worried about the fact that Ibuki hasn't
paired up with anyone. How about working together with her for this special
exam, Horikita?" I asked.
"Me and Ibuki-san?" she asked.
"With a group of two girls, you can merge with another group later. How
about at least hearing what Ibuki has to say?" I asked.
"Well, it's true that having some form of insurance would be better, I
suppose… All right. Let's go hear her out then," said Horikita.
Maybe it was because Horikita felt like she couldn't completely disregard the
offer out of hand, but she agreed to at least meet with Ibuki. I contacted Ishizaki
and asked him to make some time for us during lunch today.
6.3
DURING OUR LUNCH BREAK, I brought Horikita over to where we were
supposed to meet with Ishizaki.
"Yo, Ayanokouji! Over here!" he shouted, practically jumping up and down as
he waved after spotting me from afar.
Standing next to him was Ibuki, arms crossed, and looking very displeased as
she glared at us.
"Did she agree to this?" said Horikita.
"From the look on her face, I'm not so sure," I answered.
Ibuki seemed like she was in a bad mood even though we were supposed to
be talking about possibly getting her a group. I guess I should assume that
Ishizaki had brought her here without giving her a detailed explanation of what
was going on.
"Hurry up dude, come over!" shouted Ishizaki, hopping up and down
excitedly.
"You seem to be rather close friends with him," said Horikita, sounding a little
put off by Ishizaki's attitude.
"He's a good guy," I replied.
"Even so, I don't want to get too close to him," said Horikita.
Ishizaki was similar to Sudou in the sense that they were hotheaded,
passionate guys, but Ishizaki was also different in his own way.
"What in the hell is going on? Why are Ayanokouji and Horikita here?"
snapped Ibuki.
So, Ishizaki hadn't told her anything after all, huh? Horikita and I exchanged
glances. It felt like letting Ishizaki handle the talking here might lead to
problems.
"Actually, there's something we wanted to discuss, so we asked Ishizaki to get
in touch with you, Ibuki," I said, starting to explain our situation, since I figured
that we didn't really have any other choice.
"And?" she replied.
"Are you planning on taking on this upcoming special exam by yourself?" I
asked.
"That's my choice," said Ibuki flatly, as if she were saying that there was no
point in talking about this.
"I told ya a buncha times already though, it's better to have a group," said
Ishizaki.
"I don't need a group," snapped Ibuki.
"Well, 'kay, you say that you don't need a group, but the truth is there ain't
anybody who wants to partner up with you," said Ishizaki.
Ishizaki threw in some unnecessary comments. Was he trying to help? Or just
throw a wrench into things? I shot him a look, trying to tell him with my eyes to
keep quiet.
"Huh? What's up, Ayanokouji?" he asked.
But…Ishizaki apparently didn't get the message because he responded by
asking me a question instead.
"Nothing. By the way, Horikita's in the same boat. She hasn't found a group
either, Ibuki," I said, turning back to Ibuki.
"So?" she huffed.
"If you don't make a group for the upcoming exam, you'll be at a pretty big
disadvantage. Even if you don't make a group of three, if you at least form a
group of two people, in the worst-case scenario that one of you gets
eliminated, the other person can still keep going," I told her.
That should be enough to make her understand what I was trying to get at.
"And we don't have much time left to make groups," I added.
"So what? Are you saying you want me to partner up with Horikita?" she
asked.
"Well, yeah, that's the gist of it," I answered.
"Huh? Who do you think you are, asking me to partner up with her?!" she
snapped.
"Well, your physical abilities are nothing to scoff off… But aside from that,
there's a laundry list of issues," said Horikita.
"Hey! Where do you get off, thinking you can say whatever you want to me
too?!" said Ibuki.
Ibuki rudely barreled straight towards us, closing the distance between us.
She then turned to glare at Ishizaki, who had been standing behind her with a
vacant, happy-go-lucky look on his face.
"And you! You want me and Horikita to be in a group so you tried to put this
together? You asked them for help?" said Ibuki.
"Well, I didn't know it'd be with Horikita or nothin', but ain't this a good
thing? Getting' a group, I mean," said Ishizaki.
"I absolutely hate that guy, but I hate Horikita even more," huffed Ibuki.
I'm guessing "that guy" was meant to refer to me. Ibuki was rather politely
pointing her finger right at me.
"Wow, Ayanokouji-kun. She seems to hate you quite a lot," said Horikita.
"And I didn't even know it, huh. But it seems like she hates you even more
than me," I answered.
"What an honor," said Horikita.
The fact that Horikita and I were whispering to one another must have upset
her, because she didn't even try to hide how aggravated she was.
"I don't know if Horikita asked you to do this, or whatever the reason was, but
I am never pairing up with her!" shouted Ibuki, refusing the notion outright.
It seemed she really didn't like Horikita at all.
"Oh my, but I don't remember ever saying that I wanted to team up with you
myself, did I?" Horikita, seeing Ibuki's behavior, said something to try and
provoke her.
"Huh? What is that supposed to mean?" asked Ibuki.
"It would appear you've misunderstood something here. You're on your own
because no one wants to be with you. You're the leftovers. I'm alone because I
want to fight on my own. We're both acting solo, but our situations are
different," said Horikita, sounding somewhat exasperated.
What Horikita just said seemed to have lit a fire under Ibuki though.
"Hey, I'm on my own because I want to be! Anyway, if you say that you're
handling this exam solo too, then that's just perfect. Let's make this a contest,
Horikita!" she shouted, with a sharp glare, shifting her attention from me to
Horikita.
"Can I ask you just one question? Why do you want to compete with me so
badly? I mean, sure, we had our moments of rivalry on the island last year and
during the sports festival, but that was nothing special," said Horikita.
"You're the only one who sees it that way," said Ibuki.
As far as I knew, Ibuki had come out of their fight on the island last year the
winner. Then Horikita had won when they competed in the 180-meter race in
the sports festival. They each had one win and one loss. However, you couldn't
really say either of them had been at their absolute best in both instances.
During the island test, Horikita was forced to fight while running a high fever.
Then, during the sports festival, Ibuki was so fixated on Horikita that it
undoubtedly caused her to mess up when she ran. That meant that if you were
to ask me which of them was better, I couldn't decide at this point in time.
Ibuki, whom I had beaten along with Ryuuen on the rooftop that last year,
had even gone on to challenge me personally to try and settle the score. In
short, she had the kind of personality where she wouldn't be satisfied unless
she was absolutely certain who was better—her or Horikita. Considering all of
that, I supposed there was no way she would partner with Horikita.
"It seems like this is just a waste of time," said Horikita.
"Wait right there. Do you accept my challenge or not?" said Ibuki.
"It's not like I'm choosing to go it alone at the start because I want to selfishly
make some kind of heroic solo effort. When the special exam begins, I will
respond to the situation as things develop and join up with another group.
That's what I've chosen to do," said Horikita.
If they had established that they would be going one-on-one throughout the
exam, then this might be a viable opportunity for them to have a contest. But if
Horikita teamed up with people later, it wouldn't be a fair fight.
"Lame!" shouted Ibuki.
"Whether something is lame or not won't determine how I'll handle a special
exam," said Horikita matter-of-factly, responding to Ibuki's provocations by
telling her that this was a waste of effort. "If you're so determined to go it
alone, then how about this? Try not to lose against me, even if you and I are in a
group together. If you can manage to beat me in that situation, I'll give you at
least some credit."
"…Not good enough," snapped Ibuki.
There was no way the two of them were going to form a group. Negotiations
had broken down. However, I was sure deliberately provoking her all through
the conversation like that would strengthen Ibuki's motivations.
I offered Ishizaki a small apology and then decided to head back to the
classroom with Horikita.
"You knew from the beginning that there was no way Ibuki was going to
accept that last offer you made, right? You're too kind," I told her.
"My intention was to provoke her so she'd do something reckless and get
disqualified," answered Horikita.
It wasn't an honest answer. But, I thought, it did sound very much like her.
Chapter 7:
The Calm Before the Storm
THE CLOSING CEREMONY for the first semester arrived much sooner than I had
expected. So much so that it was kind of staggering. We had to move onto the
next goal as soon as possible. Just like last year, we would leave school and
head toward the port. There, we would board a large cruise ship and depart for
an uninhabited, unknown island somewhere at sea. Finally, with no time to
relax, tomorrow morning would mark the beginning of the special exam.
The students, who were supposed to gather in their classrooms to hear a brief
explanation, arrived at school as usual that day. They waited for their
homeroom instructors to show up. A short checklist was displayed on the
monitors in each classroom to help students make sure that they hadn't
forgotten anything.
We were allowed to bring up to one week's worth of changes of underwear,
as it would be essential for proper hygiene. Cell phones seemed to be
categorized as essential items, but it looked like they would be confiscated at
the start of the island exam. I supposed that even if we were allowed to bring
our phones onto the island, they'd be nothing more than paperweights without
an available signal. They'd probably only be used for paying off penalties or for
buying things while on the ship.
While we waited for the bell that signaled the start of class, Keisei came over
to my seat, going over the checklist to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything.
He had a grim look on his face.
"To be honest, I'm really not good at this whole uninhabited island exam
thing. This special exam might as well be asking me to catch a cloud," said
Keisei.
"Well, that's understandable, though. This test is so far outside of what we do
normally every day."
"It sounds like it's going to be especially tough for the girls. I suppose I
shouldn't really complain," said Keisei.
This exam had some challenges that were unique to the girls, so you could say
that this exam was stacked against them. Of course, the school seemed to have
taken their situation into consideration as much as possible, but there was no
changing the fact that it was going to be hard.
"Although we're going to be competing while in separate groups, I still plan to
back people up however I can," said Keisei.
Even though this was a special exam that he wasn't personally comfortable
with, Keisei expressed a determination to do everything he could to protect his
friends.
"Yeah. I'm sure we can try to work together, in some shape or form. I'll lend a
hand when the time comes," I replied, promising to help as much as I could.
"But are you really okay with tackling this by yourself? If you get sick or hurt,
you'll be disqualified. In the unlikely event you get penalized and have to pay six
million… It'll be all over," said Keisei.
"Well, if nothing else, my perfect attendance record up until this point is one
of the few things I'm proud of."
"You're starting to sound a little bit sarcastic lately, you know that?" said
Keisei with a laugh as he went back to his seat.
Not long afterward, we heard the bell that signaled the start of a new battle.
All thirty-nine students in Class 2-D took their seats. After she entered the
classroom, Chabashira's expression naturally turned stern, and there was a
heavy, oppressive air in the room.
"Today's the start of summer vacation, but it looks like you're all feeling
depressed. Well, I suppose that's understandable, though," said Chabashira,
turning on both her tablet and starting her presentation on the monitor. "Well
then, we'll get started on the final check. Also, if you're not feeling well now,
please report to me."
We were going to check our belongings and our physical conditions. The
schedule and a list of the necessary items for this exam were once again
displayed on the monitor. Fortunately, no one in our class was feeling ill, so
things progressed smoothly. Even Kouenji, who had, as expected, chosen to go
it alone rather than form a group, was quietly behaving himself at this stage.
"It seems there are no problems. That's great," said Chabashira.
A few minutes after we finished going through the checklist of things we
needed to confirm before our departure, the monitor was shut off. Then, in
order to get the attention of the class, she lightly smacked the podium once
with the palm of her hand.
"This is not the first time that you have taken a special exam. You have been
here at this school for over a year now, and you have managed to fight your
way through many hardships. But this particular special exam isn't going to be
easy to pass," said Chabashira.
She was giving us advice, but it also sounded like a warning of sorts. It was the
kind of advice a teacher could give her class… A class that was by no means
complacent.
"This is going to be tougher than any exam that you have taken so far. That is
the inescapable reality of the situation," said Chabashira.
She looked at each student carefully, almost as if she were trying to etch each
individual face into her mind.
"I have just one request for all of you. If possible, please do not allow a single
one of you to disappear. Please return to this classroom once more," she
added.
She was saying she hoped this wasn't going to be a one-way trip for any of us,
so to speak.
"We'll gather outside on the field in about ten minutes for roll call. Please use
the restroom now, if necessary," said Chabashira.
Since we didn't have that much time to spare, the students hurriedly left the
classroom. When Akito and the others gathered around my seat near the
classroom entrance, I got up from my seat with my luggage in hand. At almost
the exact same time, Kouenji stood up as well, and called out to one of the
students who wasn't standing out in the hallway.
"May I have a minute? Horikita Girl," said Kouenji.
It was a rare sight. What Kouenji did had attracted not just my attention, but
the gazes of other students in the classroom as well.
"It's unusual for you to come and talk to me of your own volition."
Apparently, Horikita seemed to feel the same way.
"There is a small matter which I wish to discuss with you regarding the special
exam that is about to begin," said Kouenji.
"Oh my, so does this mean that you're finally willing to help us? Do something
proactive?" she asked.
"Let's just say that you're half right," replied Kouenji.
Horikita eyed Kouenji somewhat suspiciously after hearing this rather
unexpected response. She understood quite well that Kouenji wasn't the kind of
person who'd aid others that easily.
"What are you after? Can I ask that you tell me what the other half is about
then?" asked Horikita.
"You want the Class Points that will be awarded to the groups that place in
the top three positions so badly that you can practically taste it. That is the
case, no?" asked Kouenji.
"Of course. Depending on how many points we can acquire, there could be
significant changes to the class rankings," said Horikita.
"In that case, please allow me to make a modest proposal. If I perform well
during this uninhabited island survival test, I want you to promise me total
freedom until graduation," said Kouenji.
Kouenji's unbelievable proposal caused the entire class to fall completely
silent for a moment. Even though his help came with conditions, he was
expressing a willingness to truly participate in the special exam.
"Promise you total freedom…? What a dramatic proposal. Are you saying that
you want me to grant you permission to just keep doing whatever you please?"
said Horikita.
"Exactly. Not only will I require your permission, of course, but I will also ask
that you work diligently, and I mean with your undivided attention, to negate
any malady or abuse that may come my way. Hm?" said Kouenji.
To give an example, this was basically what happened during the class vote
that took place last year. This more or less meant that if another special exam
came our way in the future where we had to select unnecessary students in
class and have them expelled, Kouenji would be protected unconditionally.
"This isn't something I can simply agree to. I'm sure our fellow classmates
would think the same if they heard your request," said Horikita.
If you were part of the class, then helping out, at least at the bare-minimum
level, could be considered a kind of obligation. There was no way you could just
casually grant someone permission to dispense with that.
"Consider this an advance payment until graduation," said Kouenji.
Kouenji was proposing that, if he contributed to our efforts in the upcoming
special exam, we let him do whatever he wanted from that point onward.
"It seems even you're feeling threatened. Your classmates will not tolerate
your typical antics forever. If another special exam like the class vote were to be
held in the future, you'd be directly put in the line of fire," said Horikita.
Even an eccentric like Kouenji would be in trouble if he were put in such a
difficult position, depending on what the exam was like.
"It would really be best if you didn't make such ridiculous proposals, but
instead just followed everyone else's lead," said Horikita, naturally turning him
down.
Even if she refused him here, though, Kouenji probably wasn't going to be
helping us out in any future special exams anyway. If he did, it would only be
when he himself had been forced into a tight situation. Given that, we did have
the option of at least getting him to be motivated during the island exam, but…
"I'm sorry Kouenji, but I value your talents. I just don't think it's worth it to
have you give us a 'so-so' performance in this special exam only to have you sit
on the sidelines during exams to come," said Horikita.
After weighing her options, that was the decision that Horikita had come to.
"I see. I suppose our negotiations have broken down then," said Kouenji.
"…No. I am open to accepting your proposal, albeit with the addition of
certain conditions from my side," said Horikita.
For a moment, it had seemed like she had outright refused his offer, but
apparently Horikita had other ideas.
"I won't accept something as vague as a 'good performance.' The group that
takes first place in this exam will be rewarded handsomely. If you can manage
to get first place all by yourself, that might be good enough reason to convince
me to count your efforts as an advance payment until graduation," said
Horikita.
If Kouenji won, since he wasn't partnered up with anyone, he would earn 300
Class Points. In terms of how much he could contribute to our class prior to
graduation, you could say that was more than enough. But at this current point
in time, there were over a hundred rival groups and taking first place would be
no easy feat, even for Kouenji.
"Fu fu fu fu fu. I see, I see. Certainly yes, it seems like you'd be quite satisfied
if I were to claim first place on my own," said Kouenji, laughing loudly after
hearing about a deal that sounded delightful to him. "Very well! Let us proceed
with our arrangement then, with those terms. Shall we?"
"Hold on. That's not all."
Kouenji had showed that he was willing to accept what sounded like an
absurd proposal, but without a moment's delay, Horikita responded that she
wasn't finished yet.
"I haven't fully laid out all of my terms yet. You're forcing us to work with a
boastful braggart like you, so if this exam ends without you taking first place,
it'll be trouble for the rest of us," said Horikita.
"Meaning?" asked Kouenji.
"Meaning that if you do not get first place, you must promise to cooperate
with the class in the future, whether for upcoming special exams or anything
else. And promise you'll produce good results," said Horikita.
In that moment, I could hear Keisei's breathing as he stood there, staring at
the two of them. That was nothing short of a brilliant condition. In the unlikely
event that Kouenji did get first place, that would be great. And even if he didn't
place first, the condition Horikita had put in place meant Kouenji would have to
contribute to future special exams. Class D had nothing to lose form this
arrangement. Now, the only question was whether Kouenji would accept this
added condition…
"It sounds as though you're giving me a strongly-worded order, Horikita Girl,"
said Kouenji.
"If you agree to the conditions that I've just given, then I will accept your
proposal," said Horikita.
"In that case, I'd say that these negotiations have proved fruitful, Horikita Girl.
We have a deal. Do not forget my own conditions, now," said Kouenji.
Even though Horikita had added on conditions of her own, Kouenji didn't
refuse the deal.
"You're seriously planning on getting first place by yourself?" asked Horikita.
"Absolutely. Nothing is impossible for me," said Kouenji.
Horikita had demanded something outrageous, but she couldn't hide her
shock at the confidence that Kouenji was displaying.
"Now then, I believe this conversation is finished. I shall be on my way," said
Kouenji.
Satisfied with the successfully conclusion of his negotiations with Horikita, he
left the classroom. No one could say a word to him, or do anything other than
just watch him leave.
"I have absolutely no idea how seriously he's actually going to take this…" said
Keisei.
"Yeah, it's hard to tell," I replied.
"But this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. We got him to commit to something
himself," said Keisei.
I wasn't sure I believed Kouenji was being honest about his pledge, but it was
certainly true that this was an unprecedented development. Kouenji would
need a certain degree of support for him to live his life freely and according to
his own whims at this school. If he continued to just do as he pleased, he would
inevitably plummet down the ranks of classmates who deserved to be
protected. Even if he didn't speak up this time, he would need to enact
countermeasures at some point.
However, if Horikita, the leader of Class D, acknowledged this plan, then that
was a different story.
"Even in the unlikely event that he does break into the top spots, it would be
even better if we managed to place above him. That would be fantastic," said
Horikita, turning to me. "If we managed to get first place and Kouenji-kun got
second or third… If we could accomplish that, the benefits to our class would be
substantial. We could make up for all of the setbacks we've suffered."
If you performed some simple calculations, we could get between 400 and
500 Class Points. If we managed to do that, our total would be around 700 or
800 Class Points, which would promote us to Class B in one shot. And on top of
that, as a bonus, Kouenji would have to produce satisfactory results in
upcoming exams. Hm.
"I still feel uneasy about this, though. When it comes to Kouenji, it just feels
like you can't completely fathom him," I answered.
Whether you were talking about academic or physical ability, if the question
was whether or not he was demonstrating his full potential, then the answer
was no, he probably wasn't. It was certainly true that he possessed
extraordinary talent.
"You're right. But whether he'll get first place so easily is another matter,"
said Horikita.
The competition was fierce. The representatives from the other classes,
Sakayanagi, Ichinose, and Ryuuen, were also seriously shooting for first place.
And that wasn't all, of course. Just based on what I knew now, there were some
up-and-coming groups among the first-years, like Housen and Amasawa. And
there were formidable third-year students too, like Nagumo, Kiriyama, and
Kiryuuin.
And although I hadn't actually said anything out loud about it so far, I was
planning on shooting for the top myself. Who was going to be sitting in first
place two weeks from now? And who would be leaving the school?
Our long summer was about to begin.
7.1
"IT'S ALREADY THE latter half of July. It has been getting quite hot lately, hasn't
it?" muttered Tsukishiro as he looked down at the large buses arriving at the
school, one after another.
"Yes, it certainly has been," replied a first-year student, without a hint of
emotion.
Tsukishiro continued speaking without turning to look at the student. "No
more time spent on analysis, please. There is nothing to be gained by delaying
action any further."
"Are you…telling me to expel Ayanokouji Kiyotaka now?" asked the student.
"Is that too much for you to manage?" asked Tsukishiro.
"I have established that he'll be an easy opponent. Well, actually, I knew that
all along," said the student.
"I will help you as much as I possibly can. That being said, I cannot provide
you with more support than this," said Tsukishiro.
Upon hearing that, the student thought that Tsukishiro was aggressively
pushing for this plan to move forward.
"Are you saying that you have been pushed to act recklessly yourself?" asked
the student.
"Yes. I had to jump through some impossible hoops to scrape together the
budget needed for this special exam. More importantly, I had to force the rest
of the school administration into submission when they objected to the exam's
strict rules," said Tsukishiro.
"Will it be difficult for you to continue in your position as Acting Director
then?" asked the student.
"Quite. The fraud allegations made against Director Sakayanagi are about to
be cleared up, and it is obvious I'm going to be relieved of my duties. That's
precisely why I've prepared a massive display of fireworks for the very end. I
hope you will use whatever means necessary to remove Ayanokouji Kiyotaka
from this school. Is that clear?" said Tsukishiro.
"…Yes. There will be no more hesitation."
"I am glad to hear that. In that case, please…be as violent as you wish during
this special exam. Go on a rampage. Once everything has been taken care of,
you will return to your old life. Let us both return to the places that we are
supposed to be, hm?" said Tsukishiro.
A girl's left hand—her dominant one—clenched tight, naturally swelling with
strength. Tsukishiro, seeing that out of the corner of his eye, smiled gently and
broadly.
"I am expecting great things out of you…Nanase Tsubasa-san.